Jay Conley

Jay E . Conley , 60, of Wakefield, Mass, died unexpectedly on June 4, 2010. He was born on November 27, 1949 and grew up in Wakefield and graduated from Wakefield High School. He served two years in the U.S. Army stationed in Dugway, Utah.

For the past 23 years, Jay was the popular owner of Heavenly Licks Ice Cream Shop in Melrose.

He was predeceased by his parents, Mildred and John Conley , and his brother John (Jack) Conley .

Everyone who was lucky enough to know Jay has a "Jay story" that would bring a smile to their face. The way he could make you laugh and feel good, and the love he so naturally gave and generated through his inimitable happy, funny, and charismatic ways are his legacy. Without trying or even knowing, his love of life, his uniquely caring ways and his sense of humor were a gift to so many others. There simply are not words to describe his unique style and approach to life. "Live, Laugh, and Love" would best define the life he so joyously led. And by all measures, the best description of Jay comes from one of his customers at Heavenly Licks' customers: "a super great guy."

Simply stated, Jay just loved life and loved people. So much so that those close to him speculated that many of his customers came to Heavenly Licks as much for a serving of his contagious humor and happiness as for an ice cream!

For all the good he did and joy he brought to so many, by far and away the most important part of his life has always been his family, including his lifelong best friend Steve MacKay and Steve's wife, Helen. In recent years, his love of family has been followed closely by his love of the simple lifestyle and beauty of Downeast Maine, where he and his wife, Cindy, could enjoy much-coveted time together and the simple pleasures of Jay's favorite things: eating lobsters; Friday night fish fries; star-gazing; and watching eagles, hummingbirds, seals, deer, and even a moose from the deck of the log home he had built on the coast of Maine. The time Jay spent in Maine, and the blissful memories of those times, were in his heart and on his mind almost every waking moment of recent years. He was so passionately looking forward to the day he could retire at his Maine home that he had fondly named "Schoodic Moon."

While that retirement was not in God's plan for Jay , he appreciated every moment he was able to spend living out his dream there. Without a doubt, Jay will be forever looking down on all of the special people in his life from the skies above Schoodic Moon. His gaze will especially be on, and he will be ever sadly and lovingly missed, by:

His loving wife and best friend, Cindy; his three daughters, Siobhan and husband Jim ("Bobo") Agganis, Kanitah and fiancé Kevin Smith, and Kara; his 7 cherished grandchildren, Logan, Mason ("Blue"), Rylee, Teagan, Tanner, Jackson, and Jayla; his first wife and very good friend, Barbara Perra; his lifelong best friend Steve Mackay and Steve's wife Helen; his mother-in-law Dot Convey; 3 sisters-in-law, Pam Greco, Sue Lawry, and Kathy Conley; and 5 very special nieces and a nephew.

His funeral will be held from the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave, Wakefield on Wednesday at 9 a.m. followed by a funeral mass in St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St., Wakefield at 10 o'clock. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday from 3 to 8 p.m. Interment will be at Lakeside Cemetery in Wakefield.

Read Jay Conley's Obituary and Guestbook on www.mcdonaldfs.com.

Visitation

McDonald Funeral Home
19 Yale Ave.
Wakefield , MA US 01880
Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Service

St. Joseph Church
173 Albion Street
Wakefield , MA US 01880
Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 10:00 AM

Cemetery

Lakeside Cemetery
Corner of North Ave. & Beacon St.
Wakefield , MA US 01880
Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 11:30 AM