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BURNHAM -- Dave Conner was different things to different people, especially to those at the Juniata Valley YMCA in Burnham. Sadly, the 95-year-old Lewistown man passed away on Sept. 7.
To Ed Stewart, of Lewistown, Conner was a friend and a workout partner. He certainly won't find one with the character and zest for life that Conner had.
"How many guys at 95 go to a gym and lift weights," Stewart joked. "For Dave, it was good for him, and it kept him healthy. He did it three days and a week. He had a routine, and he did it every time he was there.
"Dave was just someone who you could look up to," he added.
Conner was certainly loved by his YMCA family, who came together to get a plaque in his honor to hang at the building. Stewart and Nicole Seiler came up with the idea of getting a plaque to honor Conner.
"I thought we should honor him in some way," Stewart said. "So, I approached Nicole about it. There are plaques of other people who have done other great things for the Y.
"He definitely became a friend to a lot of people, and was a friend of mine," he added.
Juniata Valley YMCA Executive Director Victoria Searer agreed and welcomed the plaque as a memorial of sorts.
"I thought it was such a feel-good story that he made such an impact on so many of our morning members' lives," Searer said.
A graduate of Lewistown High School in 1945, Conner went onto serve in the United States Navy in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. In between the two wars, he farmed and moonlighted as a professional wrestler, going by the ring name, "Smiln' Dave."
Conner was certainly known for his smile, especially at the Y.
"When I saw the photo of him with his Veteran hat and that big smile, I knew that was the photo we had to put on the plaque," Stewart said. "He was a tremendous guy."
The plaque reads: "In Memory of Dave Conner ... "Thank you for making each and every one of us feel accepted and loved, no matter what our situation!"
That was true no matter what Conner did.
"That he did," said Mark Conner, Dave's son. "He loved and appreciated every day God gave him. He touched a lot of lives in a positive way in his lifetime."
Later in life, Conner taught as an elementary special education teacher in McClure, and also started and coached the high school wrestling program. He also taught in Juniata County and coached girls basketball. Coming back to Mifflin County, Conner also taught and later became the Director of Special Education where he developed the first School to Work program. He retired in 1987.