Obituary for John P. Conrad Print John P. Conrad, 62, passed away on February 11, 2019 after a valiant fight with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He was born in Altoona on March 17, 1956, grew up in Lilly, PA, and resided in Tyrone for the last 30 years. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Elaine Boal Conrad, his father John Francis Conrad of Lilly, one daughter, Heather (Tom) Lancaster of Wenham, MA, two sons Byron of Tyrone, and Tyler of Pittsburgh, three grandchildren Mae, Anna, and Julia Lancaster, siblings Jean Ann (Ted) Beck, Mark Conrad, Charlene Conrad, Mary Rose (Ken) Adams, DeSales (Gary) Wertz, Eleanor (Keith) Kearney, brother-in-law Phil (Mary Jo) Boal, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Mae Conrad of Lilly. He graduated from Penn Cambria High School in 1974 and received his Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering degree at Penn State University in 1979. He was a Professional Engineer licensed to offer Railroad Bridge and Railroad Consulting Engineering services.
John had Class I railroad experience with Chessie System Railroads in West Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois from 1979-1984 as a Structures Inspector and then CSX Transportation from 1984-1988 as a Structures Supervisor. From 1991-2002 John was a partner in Uni-Tech Consulting Engineers in State College. He then was a sole proprietor as a Railroad Consulting Bridge Engineer until present day.
He consulted, inspected, or led bridge construction projects for 36 railroads and 580 bridges, across multiple states, including PA, WV, OH, MD, NY, DE, NJ, and TX. He was a member of the ASLE, AREMA, and ASLRRA. In recognition of his structural design achievements, John will be honored when the bridge he designed spanning the Loyalsock Creek in Williamsport, PA will be dedicated as the John P. Conrad Bridge.
John was an active member of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church was Parish Council President and the Project Manager of the St. Matthew’s restoration and gathering space building. John was a member of the Diocesan Building Committee, was elected to the Tyrone Hospital Board in 2007, and served on the Blair County Democratic Committee. John was a kind and honest man of integrity.
He never hesitated to help others – from a random hitchhiker to his best friend. He stood for what he believed in through his thoughts, words, and actions. He lived by his grandfather’s motto, “Be conservative with yourself, and don’t be liberal, be ultra-liberal with your fellow man”.
He didn’t compromise his principles or morals and was loved by many. Friends will be received on Friday, February 15 from 4-7 pm at the Richard H. Searer Funeral Home, Inc. (www. searerfuneralhomeinc.com).
A funeral mass will be held at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church at 11 am on Saturday, February 16. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John’s name can be made to the ALS Association online or to the Western PA Chapter at 416 Lincoln Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15209.
To send flowers to the family of John P. Conrad, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
