Lora Jo Kuether Conklin, known to all as Joey, died of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy on September 12, 2021. She was 82.
Joey was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, on September 1, 1939, the third of four kids born to Frederick and Orithia Kuether. Her family then moved to Pelham, New York, where she was raised.
She attended Wilson college. After a year living abroad, she moved to Berkeley, California, where she met and married her husband, Warren Conklin. They then moved to San Luis Obispo County, where Warren served as a judge and together raised their three kids.
In 1983, after a long battle with alcohol, she radically changed her life and began to faithfully live one day at a time. She was a pillar of the recovery community and used her long-term sobriety to help others.
She was brilliant. When the child-raising season was coming to an end, she went back to school and received her Master’s Degree in English from California Polytechnic University.
After retiring, she traveled extensively with her husband, gardened prolifically (when there wasn’t a draught), and spent endless hours with her grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband, the Honorable Judge Warren Conklin; son Glenn and his wife, Karen; daughter April and her husband Brent; daughter, Robin and her husband Carl; grandchildren Jaq Conklin, Jacob Lee, Reagan Lee, Ryan Lee, and Anle Botes; and great-grandchildren Molly, Riley, and Thatcher; her brother David Kuether and his wife Paige; and many nieces and nephews, friends, and sponsees.
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, October 16, 2021, at 3 pm at Atascadero Bible Church, 6225 Atascadero Ave, with a reception following at Santa Maria Brewing Company, 7935 San Luis Ave, Atascadero.
Everyone is welcome.
