Obituary of James J. Conrad

James J. Conrad, Jr., of Lakeville, PA, succumbed to multiple medical conditions Friday, May 15, 2020 at Regional Hospital of Scranton. Mr. Conrad was born October 23, 1940 in Baltimore, MD, the son of the late Mildred (Scoggins) and James J. Conrad, Sr. He was a graduate of the University of Maryland and received a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore. Jim's professional career spanned 27 years with the Federal Medicare program and 3 years with the FBI in Washington, D.C., where he established protocols for identifying and preventing health care fraud and abuse. He educated hundreds of Federal FBI agents in the complexities and intricacies of Medicare rules and regulations. He was devoted to his community and church. After relocating to the Hawley area from Baltimore, he was active in many volunteer activities. For several years he participated in the "pen pal" program in Scranton designed to promote writing and social skills for elementary school students. For 13 years he participated in the tax counseling for the elderly (TCE) program and as such he prepared approximately 15,000 Federal, State and rebate tax returns for clients meeting the TCE requirements. When Medicare expanded its coverage policy to include drugs, he worked with AARP to educate beneficiaries on their new benefits. For this achievement, Jim was awarded the Senior Corp of PA honor for helping seniors understand their new entitlement. Jim was a Master Gardener, specializing in grasses and lawn care, teaching homeowners, analyzing their problems, making "house calls", and helping them diagnose and treat turf issues. He was a parishioner of B.V.M. Queen of Peace RC Church. He established and operated the "Bag a Month" (BAM) program, now under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus. The program collects food and money for three local food pantries and since 2013 BAM has donated over $130,000 and tons of food. Jim taught Faith Formation for the past 15 years and introduced innovative measures such as "Religious Jeopardy" rewarding winners with "faith bucks" which could be redeemed at the year's end for various religious icons such as rosaries, and crucifixes. He was a Eucharistic minister and was a member of many church councils. For 2 years he served as regional appeal chairperson for the Scranton Diocesan Annual Appeal event. He was the treasurer of the William B Healey Council 797 Knights of Columbus and served as community director and food pantry coordinator. He is survived by his wife of 42 years: Constance A. (Zimmerman) Conrad;one brother: Robert C. Conrad of Jacksonville, FL and two special nieces, Melissa Summerville and Janet Hicks. Throughout his many ordeals he never complained or asked "why me". Jim was a very witty, smiling person who leaves a void in many lives. Due to the current COVID 19 restrictions a funeral mass will be held at a time to be announced. Arrangements are under the care of Teeters' Funeral Chapel, 505 Church Street, Hawley. Memorial contributions may be made to BVM Queen of Peace Church or the Knights of Columbus BAM program.