Humbert Charles Conner

Humbert Conner

A Life of Adventure, Art, and the Outdoors

Humbert Conner, 92 years young. died on October 26th after a brief illness.

On his first drive into Maumee for a job interview in the early 1960s, he stopped his car to admire the river. Having grown up in Oklahoma, where water was scarce, he was captivated by its beauty. He got the job and settled in Perrysburg. Eventually, Humbert bought a three-story house in Perrysburg, which he renovated in his spare time when he wasn't out on his boat heading to Put-in-Bay. He set aside a large room with plenty of natural light for painting portraits. His portrait subjects included many friends and relatives. Landscapes, he said, were easy.

Humbert's childhood was interrupted by frequent moves because his father was a Brigadier General in the Army. He soon discovered that schools in the south often moved at a much slower pace than those in other parts of the country. Thanks to his father's social engagements, Humbert began wearing tuxedos at an early age. He had plenty of adventures to recount. One story involved leading a group into a cave and getting lost. He never admitted that he was lost; he simply kept walking until he found a way out. On another occasion, he earned a few quarters by entering a pit of rattlesnakes, taking care to make sure the snakes had been well fed beforehand! Plus he had cooled his legs with ice water.

Despite Humbert's frequent childhood moves and changes of schools, he eventually enrolled at University of Oklahoma, joined Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and graduated with a Master's degree in architecture. He also shared a Cessna Skylane with his pilot friend, Steve Kramer, flying to the Smoky Mountains among other places. Humbert excelled at sports and competition, taking first place in bicycle races, archery, and martial arts. He had a competitive spirit and loved the challenge of being the best. For many years, he worked as an architectural specification writer. Long before bicycling to work became popular, he rode his bicycle to SSOE downtown Toledo. He was an outdoorsman par excellence. In retirement, he volunteered as a trail patrol member for Toledo Metroparks, continuing to enjoy the natural beauty he had always cherished.

Humbert would often debate which park was more beautiful: Side Cut or Swan Creek. In the end, he agreed that Side Cut was the winner. Perhaps it was the river that settled the argument. After all, it was the beauty of the river that had first captured his heart on that drive into Maumee so many years before.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife Donna. Services will be private.

Those wishing to remember Humbert may make a contribution to the Toledo Metroparks.

Condolences may be made online to the family at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com.