James Wright Conners passed away Friday May 17, 2013.  James was born in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, the son of the late James Crowell Conners and Laurene Wright Conners.   After serving in the Navy during WWII, he attended the University of Wisconsin through the GI Bill earning a Chemistry degree and then went on to Harvard Business School earning an MBA.  James met and fell in love with Sumaya on a trip to Montreal Canada.  After a whirlwind courtship convincing her not to return to her country, Egypt, they married in Chicago, Illinois on May 15, 1965.  They subsequently moved to Los Angeles to raise their two daughters Leila Ann and Nadia Carolyn where he worked at Unocal Oil Company in the Market Research Department.  In 1992 James retired and moved his family to Columbia County to the hamlet of New Concord.  He felt very much at home and participated in many community endeavors such as Master Gardener Program specializing in growing hardy roses, was an elected official as a Chatham County assessor and was past president of the Society of New Concord.  He loved cultivating his rose garden and opened his home to garden clubs. James is survived by his wife Sumaya, his two daughters Leila and Nadia; three grandsons, Aidan, Francis and Augustus; and his older sister Virginia Yelk of Milwaukee and her extensive family.  James will be laid to rest in New Concord's Mountain View Cemetery following cremation. A memorial service will be held in July, details to be determined Condolences may be conveyed at www.frenchblasl.com