Augustine Edward Conroy Ii

Augustine (Gus) Conroy II – December 29, 1934 - May 19, 2021

Gus was born and raised with his three sisters (Anne, his twin Esther, and Mary) in an Irish-Catholic family in Lowell, MA.  After earning a B.S. in Biology at St. Anselm’s College in 1956, he attended the Naval Officers Candidate School in Newport, RI.  Gus served four years active duty on the USS Impervious, an oceangoing minesweeper, where he traveled the world and “became a man.”  He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and learned his favorite two leadership mottos: “Organization is the key to success” and “He who hesitates is lost.”

Gus met the love of his life, Barbara at a Halloween Party in Long Beach CA in 1958, and they dated until the Impervious sailed. Then a long correspondence and the whirlwind courtship began.  After Gus’s honorable discharge in 1960, he married Barbara in Milwaukee in 1961 and began his career with the Federal Government, as a Food and Drug Inspector based in Boston.

Their son (Gus III) was born in Concord, MA in 1964 and shortly after, Gus was reassigned to the Department of Agriculture as its Regional Supervisor of Pesticides in Chicago. In 1970, when Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency, Gus was transferred to Washington DC and promoted to become the first Director of Enforcement for Toxic Substances and Pesticides. Over the next twenty years at the EPA, Gus was a pragmatic environmentalist, noted for his commitment to public service, strong mentorship of his team and his “be firm but fair” enforcement maxim.   Colleagues recall him fondly as an EPA pioneer, a true leader, and a genuine public servant.

The Conroys both retired in 1990 and moved to Hollywood, FL to help Barbara’s aging parents. Later they re-settled in Sarasota and traveled extensively in the United States and abroad. They often visited Asia where their son lived and where their two grandsons (Kiffa, Kaizen) were born.

Gus enjoyed making people laugh and caring for others. He loved life, his family and friends, food, and drink. He was eternally optimistic and considered himself blessed regardless of the situation. “Everyone loves Gus” is a common refrain from those who knew him best.   He was humble about his own achievements and most proud and passionate about the happiness and the growth of his son and grandsons.

Shortly before passing away, peacefully on May 19, 2021 at the Glenridge on Palmer Ranch, he was asked what his favorite thing in life was. His blue eyes twinkled as he replied without missing a beat, “Waking up and seeing Barbara.”

A Committal Service with honors will be held on July 26th, 2021 at 11:30 AM at Sarasota National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks if you would please plant a tree in his honor.