James Davis Connor

LA JOLLA — Dr. James D. Connor, M.D. passed away peacefully at his home in La Jolla in the early morning hours of August 10, 2022 at the age of 95, accompanied at the end by his daughter, Caroline, and his wonderful caregivers. We now celebrate a life that was definitely well lived!

Dr. Connor was raised on a South Carolina farm during the Great Depression in a Methodist family that believed in service to others. He spent his youth doing farm chores or in the Low Country woodlands hunting and fishing. At eighteen, he left to serve in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. When he returned, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill to graduate from Clemson University in 1949 and obtained his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1953. After completing his residency in 1957, he became the Medical Director of Variety Children’s Hospital, a charitable pediatric clinic in Miami, Florida, where he treated children until 1964. At that point, discovering that he had a gift for research in childhood diseases, he accepted a position at the University of Miami,

November 19, 1926 - August 10, 2022 where he helped develop the first vaccine for measles. There, in 1965, he also met and married the love of his life, Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-connor.

Dr. Connor moved with a growing family to La Jolla to join the UCSD School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics in 1970. In his forty plus years of service at UCSD, he was a productive researcher, helping develop the first antiviral medicines in the 1980s and, in the last phase of his career, helping lead efforts to find a cure for juvenile HIV. A list of his publications may be found at https://profiles. ucsd.edu/james.connor . But he was also a gifted clinician and hands-on teacher of pediatrics to several generations of medical students during hospital rounds. Everyone who worked with him will remember that he truly had the hands of a physician.

In the midst of all of this, Dr. Connor was a faithful and untiring team player at home, not only deeply involved in raising a family of five children, but also supporting his wife, Elizabeth, with her own rapidly expanding research career at UCSD Medical School’s Department of Family & Community Medicine. They joined the La Jolla United Methodist Church in the early 70’s and were very active within the church until his wife’s passing. He and Elizabeth loved the outdoors, travel, opera, theater and, of course, great food with engaging conversation, which has been passed on to their entire family. In all facets of their busy lives and careers together, “Jim and Elizabeth” were the best and closest partners for over 50 years. In her final years, Dr. Connor tirelessly cared for Elizabeth’s every need until she passed away in June 2019.

Dr. Connor was always physically active well into his 90s. He loved camping all over San Diego County, Baja California, lake and sea fishing, golf, any type of Culinary Event and of course his beloved Padres, Clemson Tigers, and even that “other” NFL team until 2017 when they moved. (He had season tickets for over 25 years prior as a Proud San Diegan!)

Dr. Connor is survived by his children and their spouses, Dave and Barbara Connor, Roger and Susan (Connor) Way, Jon and Karen Connor, Caroline Connor and Pat Styles, and Steve and Christy Connor, as well as his grandchildren and their spouses, Judson and Lena (Connor) Van Wyk, Connor Way, Jeremy Way, Rose Connor and Emily Edgerton, Olivia Connor, Wade Connor, Jack Connor, and Josephine Connor, and his infant great-granddaughter, Lily Van Wyk. He will be sorely missed by all of us, for whom he has always been the great central trunk of our family tree and a great spring of love, counsel and help.

A public memorial service will be held at La Jolla United Methodist Church on October 3, 2022 at 2 p.m., when we will celebrate this remarkable and kind man we just called “Dad, Pops, Papa.” Memorial gifts may be made online at https://giveto.ucsd. edu/giving/home/giftreferral/8d836c17-ffb04170-944d-afb1a6e5b182 Please sign the Guest Book online obituaries.sandiegouniontribune.com