The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘A tremendous public servant’
Former Mayor Michael Conway dies at 74
TORRINGTON — Former Mayor Michael J. Conway Jr., known for his booming voice and steadfast advice, died Feb. 6, Mayor Elinor Carbone said, as she noted the memorial bunting that framed his portrait in the City Hall Auditorium.
“The loss of former Mayor Michael Conway leaves us deeply saddened,” Carbone wrote on her Facebook page Friday. “His dedication and love for his hometown as a mayor, mentor, educator and friend will be remembered forever. He leaves an indelible great footprint in the hearts of this community. Our sincerest condolences go to his beloved family.”
Conway, who was 74, served as mayor from 1979 to 1985. Before being elected as mayor, he was on the city council for four years. He graduated from Torrington High School in 1962 and the University of Connecticut in 1966, according to his obituary. Conway and his wife, Melissa, were married for 51 years.
“Mike was my English teacher in high school,” at Torrington High School, said former Mayor Owen Quinn. He said that, after college, he managed Conway’s first mayoral campaign.
“He had a stunning victory in a three-way primary,” he said.
Conway taught for 12 years at Torrington High School, following his father, who taught at the same school. The career choice
continued into a third generation. Michael Conway Jr.’s daughters, Maggie McGillicuddy and Kate Crowe teach in Litchfield County.
“He had a big, booming voice,” said former Mayor Ryan Bingham. “You knew the mayor was around,” when Conway spoke, he said.
“He offered tremendous advice and counsel,” Bingham said. “Anytime I got to speak with him, I relished it.”
Conway was inducted into his alma mater’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. The nomination says Conway was the president of his class and
sports editor of the student newspaper.
“Michael called me two days before Thanksgiving and told me he was going into surgery,” Quinn said. “I’m deeply saddened. I will miss him as a mentor and leader in the community.”
‘He was a tremendous public servant. I will certainly miss his voice,” Bingham said.
Conway “was a lifelong New York Yankees, Torrington Raiders, and UConn Huskies fan, an avid fisherman, a fabulous cook, and the consummate storyteller. He was a voracious reader and an authority on Torrington history and trivia, and had a quick and clever wit, but his
passion was teaching,” according to his obituary. While he was mayor, he also served as president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.
His death followed a long illness, the obituary said.
A Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Feb. 13 at St. John Paul the Great Parish (St. Francis of Assisi Church), 160 Main St., Torrington. Friends may call from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Phalen Funeral Home, Migeon Avenue, Torrington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Torrington High School Music Department, Wayne Splettstoeszer, Torrington High School, 50 Major Besse Drive, Torrington, 06790, the obituary said.