Joseph V.J. Conner

Abbeville—A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, August 1, 2023  at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Joseph V.J. Conner, 92, who died Sunday, July 23, 2023 in Shreveport, LA.  He will be laid to rest at Saint Mary Magdalen Cemetery with Reverend Daniel Picard officiating the services.

Joseph V.J. Conner was born January 3, 1931 in Abbeville, LA, to Gladu and Lillie Dubois Conner.

V.J. worked a few jobs before landing one at a service station before moving to Shreveport. He loved playing French songs on the harmonica and he loved to dance, which is where he met his wife on Christmas Eve in 1950 at the local dance hall.  They were married on June 12, 1954 and while living in Abbeville, were blessed with two children.  After 10 years they moved to Shreveport where they had their third child. V.J. went to work for Beard Pollan Chain Saw as a machinist and held a part-time job at a service station.  He was such a trusting individual, the boss let him run the station by himself.

When they shut Beard Pollan down 18 years later, he went to work for Caddo Parish, spraying mosquitos.  He worked there for another eleven years until he retired at 65.  After retiring he learned to wood carve and became so good at it, he won several awards. V.J. was very proud of his hobbies.

V.J. loved to work in the garden and he loved to tend to his red roses.  He loved his grandchildren. To him, having grandchildren meant hours of letting the girls fix his hair by placing rollers in his hair.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 69 years, Betty Rost Conner; son Kelly Brent Conner (Daphne); granddaughters, Raechelle Halloran (Kayne), and Madalyn Dufour (Levi); grandson,  Zachary Conner; brother, Dalton Conner (Elnora) of Shreveport; sisters, Delores Harrington and Pearl Broussard; sister-in-law, Pat Conner of New Zealand; and three great grandchildren.

V.J. is preceded in death by his parents, Gladu and Lillie Dubois Conner; daughter, Sharon Raye; son; David Bryan; and brother, Golden Conner.

The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Monday, July 31, 2023 from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 6:00 PM; Tuesday, August 1, 2023 from 9:00 AM until 10:45 AM when the procession will depart for the church.