James Dalton Conner, 86, of Darlington went to be with the Lord, following a short illness, at 11:20 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in his home. He was surround by his daughters.
Jim was born May 3, 1940, in East Chicago, Indiana, to the late Carroll and Virgie Smith Conner. He was formerly married to Jerri Hendrickson Conner with whom he had three daughters.
He was a 1958 graduate of Crawfordsville High School and worked as a self-employed welder making repairs and fabrications for local farmers and businesses. People in the community knew they could count on Jim to “fix their problems.” He often joked, he could fix anything but the break of day or crack of dawn. Before striking out on his own, he had worked with his father and brother in Conner Excavating and had also been employed by Koch/Gulf Central Pipeline.
Jim attended the Sugar Plain Friends Church in Thorntown and enjoyed making metal crosses and fabricated metal flowers for the church members. He was a very down to earth and common-sense kind of guy with a great work ethic … still tinkering in his shop until his health failed him. He used his creative ability to fabricate replica farm equipment and trucks from scratch using scrap material he had on hand.
He is survived by three daughters, Paula Pribble of Crawfordsville, Sheila (Mike) Cox of Darlington and Amy (Danny) Anderson of Thorntown; brother Richard (Peggy) Conner of Crawfordsville; six grandchildren, Amanda, Chris, Casey, Quinten, Ally and Catie; 16 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Visitation hours are noon to 2 p.m. followed by funeral services at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Family and Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, with Pastor Larry Truitt officiating. Interment will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery, Darlington.
Memorial contributions are preferred to Sugar Plain Friends Church.
To sign the guest book or share a condolence visit us at www.familyand
friendsfh.com.
