James Raymond Conkey

James Raymond Conkey, 69, of Granite Bay passed away peacefully on March 15, surrounded by his family. The son of Mary and Raymond Conkey. Jim is survived by his wife of 43 years, Mary Conkey; three children: Robert Conkey and his wife, Kanako, of Marina Del Ray, Jeffrey Conkey of Corte Madera, and Jennifer Conkey of San Francisco; and siblings Aileen Greaney of Pomona, Mary Fetherolf of Atlanta, Michael Conkey of Happy Camp, Roger Conkey of Loomis, and Fred Conkey of Amity, Ore. Jim was a devoted husband, father, and brother, and was extremely excited to soon become a grandfather. One of six children, Jim was born Aug. 1, 1948 in Santa Monica and grew up in Reseda, graduating from Reseda High School in 1966. Jim joined Battalion 7 of the U.S. Marine Corps and served from 1968 to 1971. He bravely served in combat and was seriously wounded, receiving a Purple Heart. Jim returned home and graduated from CSU Northridge in 1976 with a degree in Business Administration Accounting. He later worked toward an MBA at Golden Gate University. Following college, Jim moved to the Sacramento area and started his professional career as a CPA with Arthur Young & Co. from 1976 to 1979. In 1979, he started his own company, J.R. Conkey & Associates in Roseville, and specialized in commercial real estate brokerage and real estate syndication before shifting to development, construction management, and eventually became heavily involved with the solar power industry. A hard-working business owner, Jim remained active in the business throughout his life, serving as a developer and construction manager for his own developments and for public and private clients on multi-story office buildings, schools, correctional facilities, shopping centers and business park facilities. He completed hundreds of public and private projects. Jim loved spending time with his family and his hobbies included history, hunting, fishing, jiu-jitsu, travel, and computer games. Jim took great pride in serving as a volunteer on both national and local levels to assist in the development of various programs designed to aid disabled veterans and their business endeavors. He served as the California Director of the Association for Service Disabled Veterans and as Treasurer of the California Disabled Veterans Business Alliance.