My father, David Leonard Conway, was born on March 30, 1917 in Lynn, MA. He was the youngest of three sons of Elizabeth (Bonner) and Denis Conway, both Irish immigrants. Dad grew up in Lynn and attended St. Joseph's Grammar School and Lynn English High School. He was employed at General Electric in Lynn after his high school graduation.

Mom and Dad met and dated for seven years before they married on June 14, 1941. I came along in May of 1942, and Dad was drafted into the Army early in 1943. While Mom did not keep any of Dad's letters, she did keep a recording of his voice, which she played over and over for me when I was young so that I would remember him. According to Mom, Dad was stationed near Washington, D.C. until early 1945 as a guard for German prisoners of war. One of these prisoners wrote a very poignant letter about how he felt about the United States, which Dad sent to my Mom. This young man committed suicide while my Dad was home during Christmas of 1944. When Dad heard this sad news on his return to duty in Washington, he volunteered for duty in Europe.

My Dad was killed in action during a firefight on April 14, 1945 near Weissenfels, Germany. He is buried in Margraten, Holland. Over the past fifteen years, I have been fortunate to visit Margraten many times. It is a place of peace and love. Dutch friends have adopted Dad's grave and visit many times throughout each year. They have become extensions of my family. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, I visited Margraten and was accompanied by my daughter, Kathleen, and my son, John David. Our Dutch friends were with us, and I was once again stuck with the peace of Margraten and the love of the Dutch people.

I am so proud of my father and my mother. They had such a short time together, and they gave up so much for our freedom. Mom worked very hard to raise her only child, and never forgot her "Dave". I think he would have been proud of her strength and sense of humor.