Conrad Sweerus, Jr., 93, was taken to Glory to be with the Lord on July 3, 2015. Among his family and friends he was known as Conrad, Connie, Turk, Junior, and Jake, and to his children as Dad or Daddy and his grandchildren as Grandpa. Regardless of the name, all who knew him were blessed by a God loving, caring, hardworking, humble man who brought them special, happy, moments and the occasional practical joke!

Conrad was born February 14, 1922 to Nellie (Martin) and Conrad Sweerus, Sr. in Clifton, NJ. The backyard of his family home on Clinton Ave led into the cow pasture of his grandmother's farm, the Martin Dairy, which was operated by his extended family. As a child he loved spending time in the pastures and the dairy. A Boy Scout, he would recount stories of the camping trips he and his friends made lugging their gear up Van Houten Ave and into the Paterson Mountains. He attended the Pine Street School, Clifton, and graduated from the Eastern Academy, Prospect Park, in 1939. As a graduation gift he and his older brother Cornelius took a cross-country trip in their Model A Ford. Although he received a scholarship to college for accounting, he decided to put off his education and went to work in the billing and accounting office of Public Service in their Passaic office.

In 1942 Conrad enlisted in the United States Navy. After basic training, at Camp Perry in VA, he was assigned to the Seabees in the newly formed 5th Special Battalion. In World War II his unit was said to have served from one extreme to the next and then back again, having been stationed in the Aleutians, and then the Philippines. He proudly served his country and was honorably discharged in 1945 as a Boatswain's Mate Second Class. After the War he returned to Clifton and resumed work at Public Service, but with a desire to get out of the office and work with his hands, he began working for the Dandrow Company, Nutley, as a repairman of household appliances.

In 1946 he met Ann Raywood and by Christmas of that year they were engaged. On May 29, 1947 the couple married in a small ceremony at the parsonage of Northside Christian Reformed Church in Clifton, NJ. On the 29th of each month, for the next 53 years, they would celebrate their anniversary. The newlyweds moved into a home, purchased the week prior to their wedding, in Wayne, NJ. This is where they lived and raised their six children. In 1959 Conrad began working as a Letter Carrier for the United States Post Office. For most all of his career, which ended in 1983, he delivered mail in the Valley section of Wayne.

A craftsman, he was able to build or repair anything and always had a project or two or three going. An avid gardener, his yard was filled with flowers and he always had a big vegetable garden. He enjoyed fishing, ice fishing, and taking long walks. Until the age of 90 he was still walking several miles nearly every day! Family outings after work or on a weekend were a part of summers, as were trips to Lake Hopatcong, and Brant Lake. Big picnics with lots of food, many games of horseshoes, and a big bonfire were held in the yard with family and friends every Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. After retiring he bought an RV and, with Ann, began traveling around the country. Eventually they left Wayne and moved to Whiteville, NC and later to a home in LaGrange, NC.

Conrad was a member of the Preakness Christian Reformed Church during his years in Wayne, serving on the Facilities Committee and multiple times as a Deacon. After moving to NC in 1984 he became a member of the Chadbourn United Methodist Church in Chadbourn, NC and later the Wheat Swamp Christian Church in LaGrange, NC. Conrad was also a member of the Veterans of Foreign War; The American Legion, Anthony Wayne Post 174; The National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 4641, and; the National Association of Retired Letter Carriers.