William J. Conway "Bill" passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, November 26, 2018. He had just celebrated his 83rd birthday. Loving husband of 57 years to Barbara L. Conway (nee Ackerman); dear father of Kenneth Conway, Daniel (Claudia) Conway, Elizabeth (Scott) Meier, and Michael (Jane) Conway; proud grandfather of Miranda and Dylan Conway, Mikey and Maria Conway, and Madeline, Evan, and Joe Meier; beloved brother of the late Marie Conway; our dear uncle, brother-in-law, cousin, and friend to many.
Bill was born in Overland, Missouri and attended All Souls Grade School and Mercy High School. He worked his way through college at Washington University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1957. He then went on to earn his MBA from St. Louis University.
Bill enlisted in the United States Army in 1957 and became Sergeant in the Finance Corps. He left the Army with an Honorable Discharge in 1963. Bill met his lovely wife, Barbara, in 1959 when they both worked briefly for McDonnell Douglas, and they were married in 1961. Bill subsequently went to work for the Container Corporation of America as a salesman and moved to Dallas, Texas. He traveled extensively throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana for his job. Their two older boys, Ken and Dan, were born in Dallas. Bill eventually got transferred back to St. Louis in 1965. Beth and Mike, their other two children, were born in St. Louis.
Bill started working for Walston & Co., a national brokerage firm, as a broker in 1968. After a series of mergers, the firm became DuPont Walston, and eventually closed its doors in 1974. At that point, Bill moved to Rowland and Co., a regional brokerage firm, as General Sales Manager. In 1976, Bill founded his own brokerage firm, William J. Conway & Co., Inc., and worked many long hours to build up his firm and keep it running successfully. He was active in the investment industry for over 50 years, and was well-respected by his clients and industry peers. He was active in financial industry affairs, participating in conferences and symposiums and appearing at events as guest speaker. Bill received numerous financial industry awards and wrote articles for publications as well as appearing on TV and radio, giving insights on financial markets. Many remember him from his daily stock market reports which were a fixture on local radio, NPR station KWMU, for over 25 years. In his long career, Bill helped hundreds of clients to reach their goals and become financially independent.
In addition to building and running a successful business, Bill still found time to be a dedicated community volunteer. He served on various boards and held leadership positions in charitable, church, civic, youth, and educational organizations throughout the course of his career. Of note, he coached Little League baseball and soccer, became President of St. Joseph's Academy Father's Club, and also was very involved with the Missouri Athletic Club, where he was President from 1988-1989. During that time, he was instrumental in the movement to allow women members into the Club.
Throughout all this time, Bill's first love was his family. He made a priority to spend quality time with them. They have fond memories of annual family vacations, and he was always present at his children's, and eventually his grandchildren's, school and cultural performances and sporting events. An avid traveler, Bill and his wife Barbara have visited countries all around the world. Bill also enjoyed reading, singing, and spending time with his many friends. He was known for his kindness, generosity, and wonderful sense of humor. He will be dearly missed.
Services: Visitation on Monday, December 3, from 4 to 8 pm at Kriegshauser West, 9450 Olive Blvd. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, December 4, at Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church, 401 S. Lindbergh Blvd, 63131. Interment at St. Peters Cemetery, Kirkwood. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or to a charity of your choice.
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