Robert Lee 'Sonny' Conn's Obituary
CONN, Robert L. (Sonny) Conn, 76, of Austell died Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, after several years of ill health. Services will be Wednesday at 11am at Davis-Struempf Funeral Home, 1975 East-West Connector, Austell. Burial will be at Cheatham Hill cemetery. The family will receive visitors from 4-8pm Tuesday at the funeral home.
Mr. Conn was born in the Chattahoochee mill village community on March 30, 1931, and grew up in the Chattahoochee and Riverside communities, but he spent his last 43 years in Cobb County. He graduated in 1950 from West Fulton High School where he was an outstanding baseball and football player, named to numerous all-star teams. He sometimes ran sprints in track meets, leaving baseball practice to run – and win – without changing from his baseball spikes.
A professional baseball career was aborted by a shoulder injury that forced him out after a year in class-D ball. His love affair with sports, particularly Georgia Tech teams but extending to local high schools and the little leagues, lasted a lifetime.
The shoulder injury also kept him out of the military, when he revealed it as he was about to be inducted into the Marine Corps.
Mr. Conn worked in sales, first in life insurance, later in cemetery lots. He was head of sales, training others, at Westview cemetery, one of several jobs he held in that business.
He was a member of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church but sometimes attended Chattahoochee First Baptist, the church of his youth.
Mr. Conn is survived by his wife, Betty Joyce; daughters Deborah Brookshire and husband David, Jackie Ayo and husband David, and Terry Everette and husband Kenny; sons Harold Preston and wife Kathy, and Victor Conn and wife LeAnne; sister Sybil Smith and brothers Max, Thomas and Sidney.
Also by grandchildren Stephen, Jennifer and Hadley Miller; Wayne Ayo; Natalie Murray; Chad Everette; Dustin, Morgan and Ben Preston; and Emaline Conn; and by 10 great-grandchildren and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
What’s your fondest memory of Robert Lee 'Sonny'?
What’s a lesson you learned from Robert Lee 'Sonny'?
Share a story where Robert Lee 'Sonny''s kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Robert Lee 'Sonny' you’ll never forget.
How did Robert Lee 'Sonny' make you smile?