Obituary of James A. Conant

James “Jimmy” A. Conant, 78, died Friday November 16, 2018 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jimmy died peacefully at his home under the care of Hospice.

Jimmy was born in Canton, Ohio on May 26, 1940 to Richard A. Conant and Keitha E. Stevens.  The family resided in Chagrin Falls, OH until their divorce in 1946.  His father remarried in 1949 to Floried Jones and they welcomed Jimmy into their home. 

In 1956, Jimmy went to a private High School in Toccoa Fall GA. He stayed in GA and attended Toccoa Falls College where he graduated in 1958 with a B.A. degree in Biblical Education.

Jimmy married his college sweetheart Gerri Grim of New Castle, PA in 1960.  They then moved to Ocala, FL where they resided for the next 10 years and had four beautiful children.  Jimmy and Gerri divorced and he left his family and moved to Dallas, TX.  During his time in TX, he married Fredlyn Joe Trull and they remained married until her death in 1996.

Jimmy worked for 12 years in TX for Reynolds Aluminum as a sales manager before giving into his passion for hunting and fishing.  As a fishing guide on Lake Texoma, Jimmy was known as the “Moby Striper” for catching a record striped bass.  He also worked for American Express worldwide doing fishing expeditions and seeking out the best places for fishing vacations.  Jimmy hunted every year for deer, wild hogs and turkeys which he shared with friends and people in need.

In the last 14 years of his life, Jimmy has lived in St. Petersburg on Tampa Bay and wintered in Dallas, TX, Cedar Key or Crystal River.

He is survived by four children, daughter Brenda Rae Polding and her husband Brian, son James A. Conant Jr., daughters Jodie Lynn Watkins, and Gerri Beth Guzman and her husband Al, 7 grandchildren, Dakotah, Jamie, Jason, Robin, Jodie, Travis and Miranda, 3 great grandchildren, Barrett, Madison, Spencer, and brothers Richard Conant, Greg Conant and sister Lana Gray.

A private grave side service for family and close friends will be held at the Highland Memorial Park, Ocala, FL on December 1, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.