Induction Ceremony 2025 Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame

My induction into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame was an unexpected but greatly appreciated honor. My family and friends suited up and showed up in numbers that exceeded my expectations. To have my children and grandchildren there made it an amazing experience. 

The hardest part for me was the speech. Not giving the speech but deciding on what to say. Each inductee is given five minutes which, after the obligatory thank yous, leaves very little time for a serious message. I had been on the IIHOF board for many years and attended over 20 events, so I have heard at least 80 inductee speeches. Some were awkward, some were polished, some were boring. The ones I remember best were funny, so I went with humor with a message. 

I was introduced by Abby-Jaye Larson a fellow CPCU with a personality that shines in the dark. She did a great job and set the stage for my speech. I had some notes printed out but I fumbled them on stage and winged it to the end.  Here is a link to a video of the event.

Besides the the people that attended I heard from friends from across the country. I heard how I had helped them, encouraged them to be their best, and a few that said I gave them a swift kick that they needed at the time. Much of what I heard were the nice platitudes that people say about the deceased at a funeral. I will alway be grateful for the experience.

The recognition was a wakeup call for me, as a senior leader in the local insurance community, to be sure to step up and nominate people that I know that should be in the IIHOF too. I am activity working on four at this time. 

Random Thoughts

• We got rid of our land line five months ago and have not missed it once.

• When did Halloween become an adult holiday for narcissists?

• Anyone else bored with organic marketing claims, the bacon craze, Mayans, zombies, vampires, anything Batman?

• How can the 49 years in the picture to the right pass as if in a dream?

• I wish I never noticed the arrow in the negative space between the E and the X in the FedEx logo. It is like a tune you cannot get out of your head.

• Yesterday I saw somebody driving on the freeway that was not on a cell phone. I was sure the temperature in Hell, MI dropped below freezing. Later I got a cart at Walmart that had no bad wheels and was sure of it.

Merge Left

My mother, Merge Conroy, died October 20, 2011 in Phoenix, AZ. It was not an unexpected death and she had been preparing for it for several years. Merge transcended the sometimes stoic, and often painful, process of dying with a peaceful acceptance of the inevitable. Her powerful proof of personal courage was a final lesson and gracious gift to her children. Thanks Mom!

Her passing was made easier for me by the company of my sister Deb and her husband (and my brother from another mother) Ray, my brother Dan and baby brother Bill. Deb and Ray spent many months in Arizona caring for Merge while we all were together most of the last five weeks. It was a special time that will always be fondly remembered and appreciated by us all. Dan, Bill and I also appreciate that our spouses, Bonnie, Toni and Debbie kept the home fires burning and a couple of businesses efficiently humming while we were away.

Here is the obituary that was published in her hometown newspaper, The Daily Jeffersonian of Cambridge, OH.:

ETHEL BASFORD CONROY 1933-2011

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Ethel Mergeline (Merge) Basford Conroy, 78, died Oct. 20, 2011, in Phoenix, from complications following surgery to repair an aortic aneurism. She was born July 15, 1933, in Byesville Ohio, the second child of William Howard Basford and Lillian Irene Newman. Merge married John (Jack) William Conroy of Buffalo, Ohio, on July 29, 1952. Four children were born of this union: Robert Dean Conroy (Debra), Deborah Lynn Krasicky (Raymond), Daniel Jon Conroy (Bonnie) and William John Conroy (Toni). Merge is also survived by eight grandchildren, David Robert Conroy, Kathryn Eileen Lane (Chris), William Michael Conroy (Fay), Daniel Raymond Krasicky , Dennis Daniel Conroy (Meri) , Rick Robert Conroy, Tiffany Anne Conroy, John Robert Conroy; two step grandchildren, Makenzie Leanne Johnson (Nate) and Aimee Ronise Thomas; and five great-grandchildren; Jackson Paul Lane, Allison Danielle Lane, Hayden-Saylor Noel Conroy, Sawyer-Jack Daniel Conroy, Adoline Evangline Krasicky; and one step great-grandchild, Hunter Dean Johnson.

Merge was predeceased by her husband, Jack; her parents; her sister, Lavinna (Lee) O’Karma Mitchell; her brother, John Charles (Jan) Basford; and daughter-in-law, Carol Maureen McCain Conroy. She is survived by her brother, James Basford (Daroline); and her sister-in law, Mary Basford.

Merge had a blessed life filled with family and many friends across the country. She lived in many places including Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Chicago, Detroit, Sacramento and Phoenix. She traveled extensively and visited many distant lands including Israel, Egypt and most of Europe.
 In accordance with Merge’s wishes, she will be cremated and her cremains will be interred next to Jack in a private ceremony. The family will hold a Celebration of Life ceremony in Michigan at a future date.  Memorials can be sent to the group home that has been home to her grandson, David, for the last 15 years: The Homestead, 1625 Adventureland Dr., Suite B Altoona, IA 50009 http://www.thehomestead.org/


Bob, Deb, Dan and Bill thank everyone that has kept Merge in their thoughts and prayers and we are grateful for the care she received from the medical professionals at Arizona Heart Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital, Medical Center in Phoenix and Hospice of the Valley. A special thank-you goes out to our cousin, Judi Makan, for her inestimable support and strength. Bob, Dan and Bill are also grateful for our sister, Deb, and her husband, Ray, for their unselfish devotion and love while caring for our mother.

I am often reminded of how I miss my mom as her name adorns signs along all the roads I travel.  The memories are always good and that is her legacy – all of the memories are good!  May she always rest in peace.