Richard Conant

On Tuesday, August 6, 2019, Richard Vernon ("Buzz") Conant, passed away suddenly of natural causes at the age of 70. Buzz was born in Grass Valley, CA, second son of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Conant. After graduating from Nevada Union High School, Buzz attended Humboldt State University, obtaining a degree in Zoology, later pursuing graduate studies in the same field. In 1974, he married his loving wife Virginia (Ginger) Haeger and together they raised three beautiful children, Jennifer, Brandon, and Taylor. Following college, Buzz worked for the US Department of Forestry in Nevada County, California. Three years later, he accepted a position with the US Department of Agriculture in Puerto Rico, where he lived and worked for nine years. During this time, his first two children, Jennifer and Brandon were born. Buzz and family then moved to Tifton, GA, where son Taylor was born and Buzz began the first of many years tackling the eradication of the boll weevil, a destructive pest of the cotton plant/industry. He continued this work in Tuscaloosa, AL, his home until his passing. Buzz also accepted work assignments in many countries including Spain, Germany, Chile, Japan and the Netherlands.

Buzz retired in 2012 but did not sit idly. He was a proud, loving, and engaged grandfather, keen and skillful gardener, discerning collector of vintage bric-a-brac, and lover of dogs. A few days prior to his death, he vacationed at the beach with his entire family, an experience all will lovingly remember. Buzz was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Dorothy Conant. He is survived by his devoted wife of 45 years, Ginger, his three children, Jennifer (husband Rob Harper), Brandon (wife Rachael), and Taylor, siblings Robert (Pete), Gerald, Janet, and granddaughters Blakeley, Riley, and Savannah.