RAPID CITY - Lt. Col. Paul Henry Conley, USAF (Ret.) 89, passed away on June 12, 2023, at his home in Rapid City, SD.

Paul was born on November 17, 1933, to Charles A. and Marion F. (Harrison) Conley in Sioux City, IA.  He grew up in Sioux Falls, SD and graduated from St. Joseph Cathedral High School in 1951 and attended St. Mary's College in Winona, MN for two years before beginning his military career.

Paul joined the U.S. Air Force in 1954, where he was able to fulfill his dream of flying airplanes. Trained as a navigator, Paul's service to his country found him flying missions throughout the states and overseas.  His love of aviation thrived as he flew in a variety of airplanes, always joking that he was the one telling the pilots where to go! Paul earned numerous medals and citations during his career.

On December 28, 1955, he was united in marriage to Barbara Anne Barr in Texarkana, TX. The couple set off on adventures around the United States, courtesy of the military.  From the far reaches of Alaska to the ocean shores of Florida, home was whatever base Paul was stationed at, with Barbara staying home with the couple's two daughters.

After his final station at Ellsworth Air Force Base, Paul retired from the military in 1974, and he and Barbara put down roots in Rapid City, SD.  That same year, he began a new career with an aerial photography service, Horizons, Inc.  Tinkering in the darkroom to create large-scale photos became a new passion that married his love of aviation with his technical skills as a navigator.

It was during this same time that Paul enrolled at the National College of Business in Rapid City. Studying during the evenings and on weekends, he earned both B.A. and B.S. degrees in Business Administration.

Upon his retirement from Horizon's, Paul found himself with time to spare and he began volunteering with the Rapid City Regional Hospital Auxiliary.  He volunteered in the gift shop at the hospital, where he enjoyed helping visitors find just the right item for family or friends.  His volunteer service was recognized at both the hospital (2005) and on the state level (2006) when he was named the Auxilian of the Year.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Barbara Conley; his daughters, Kathy Cox, Black Hawk, SD and Karen (Todd Goetz) Conley, Box Elder, SD; and his grandchildren Michael Goetz, Box Elder, SD and Rachel Cox, Rapid City, SD; siblings, Katherine Conley, San Francisco, CA; Patty Haugom, Palmer, AK; Bruce Conley, Sioux Falls, SD, and Willard (Kathy) Conley, Kennett Square, PA. Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Marion Conley, his infant son, Robert Paul Conley, and sister Mary Clare Julson.

Friends and family are invited to a vigil service on Monday, June 19, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. to be held at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home.  Visitation will begin at 5:00 p.m.  A Christian Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 20 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Therese the Little Flower Catholic Church with a lunch to follow.  Burial will be at Black Hills National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.  Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made in Paul's memory to St. Therese the Little Flower Catholic Church or Red Cloud Indian School Attn: Jane Farrell 100 Mission Drive, Pine Ridge, SD 57770.