Served as mayor in the 1960s
By:Sally Goldenberg
Hillsborough resident and former mayor S. Robert Conard, 72, died Dec. 21 in his Deerfield Beach, Fla., condo.
Mr. Conard, who was born in Hillsborough and graduated from Somerville High School in 1948, dedicated much of his spare time to public service in the community.
After serving as mayor in the late 1960s, Mr. Conard, a full-time farmer for over 50 years, was president of the Board of Health for 20 years.
His children recall public service and farming as priorities in his life, along with his wife and six children.
"He’s always very committed to his community," said his 47-year-old son, Sam Conard, also a Hillsborough resident. "He always felt it was not just his duty, but everyone’s duty to do some community work and he was very dedicated to his church," the Montgomery Evangelical Free Church.
Mr. Conard said his father attended Rensseler Polytechnic Institute for two years to study engineering, but decided to resume farming.
"He decided that (engineering) wasn’t for him. He came back home. He always wanted to farm," Mr. Conard said.
Between the farms on Township Line Road, where Mr. Conard lived in Hillsborough, and property in neighboring towns, Sam Conard said his father farmed on 1,500 acres. He sold his dairy farm 15 years ago and concentrated on crops, Sam Conard said of his father. He added that his father farmed, "right up until the end. He wasn’t involved as much of course in the physical activity but he took care of all the book work."
Mr. Conard and his wife, Virginia, raised six children and had 23 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Another great grandchild is on the way.
Mr. Conard’s daughter, Becky Lyon, also a Hillsborough resident, recalled her father’s commitment to family.
Ms. Lyon said he assisted her and her husband, Kevin Lyon, in buying a home and inspired Mr. Lyon to get involved with farming. Mr. Lyon is the manager of the Belle Mead Farmer’s Co-op.
"He was such a help to my husband and me getting started with our life together," said the Hillsborough kindergarten teacher. "He inspired me to come back here and be close to home and the family."
Mr. Conard and his wife enjoyed traveling in their spare time, Sam Conard said. "They’ve been all over the world: Italy, Ireland, England, Egypt, South America," he said.

