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2011 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 688
Celebrating the life of Mair Williams Conrad.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 21, 2011
Agreed to by the Senate, January 27, 2011

 

WHEREAS, Mair Williams Conrad, a native of Wales who made Richmond and America her home, died on December 23, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Mair Conrad was born on October 21, 1920, in Barry, Wales, to her English father, Trevor John Williams, and her Welsh mother, Mary Ann Devonald Williams; she grew up and lived in Barry, which is located on the coast of the Bristol Channel; and

WHEREAS, an engaging young woman, Mair Conrad captured the attention of Second Lieutenant Ernest Conrad in February 1944; they fell in love and dated until August 1944 when Lieutenant Conrad was deployed as part of the 28th Infantry Division to Europe; and

WHEREAS, Mair Conrad endured two years of silence from Lieutenant Conrad while he was deployed; then one day in 1946, she received a ticket for passage to America aboard a “Liberty Ship” from Emily Conrad, Lieutenant Conrad’s mother; and

WHEREAS, Mair Conrad joyfully traveled to the New York City Harbor, where she was enthusiastically met by Ernest; they traveled to Richmond and married, beginning a 53-year partnership that included raising three children; and

WHEREAS, a gracious lady with a kind heart, Mair Conrad loved her new country and devoted herself with great zeal to her husband and children, supporting them in all their activities; and

WHEREAS, Mair Conrad enjoyed new endeavors and over the course of her life, founded several businesses and organizations, including a nursery school, an antique shop, “The Bride and Deb Gallery,” and the “Snooty Fox,” a social club; and

WHEREAS, Mair Conrad also generously gave of her time and talents as a volunteer at the St. James’s Children’s Center; and

WHEREAS, a talented writer, Mair Conrad wrote a column for The Goochland Gazette and, as she reflected back to her early days, penned two memoirs, entitled On the Golden Stairs and My Virginia Gentleman, about growing up in Wales, her life during the War, and meeting her GI husband and immigrating to America; and

WHEREAS, Mair Conrad lived a full life marked by love of her family and her country; predeceased by her beloved husband, she will be greatly missed by her children, Mary Ann, Ernest, and John and their families and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a respected citizen of the Commonwealth, Mair Williams Conrad; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Mair Williams Conrad as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.