William Sheldrick Conover was born in Richmond, VA and was raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. Nancy Toel Conover was one of two children of Court and Winifred Abbot Toel. Her father worked for Curtis Publishing Company and headed up to production of the magazine “Country Gentleman.”
In 1946, William graduated from Lake Forest High School. That same year, Nancy T. Conover graduated from New Trier High School. Both enrolled in Northwestern University. They met while performing in the chorus line of the musical “Waa-Mu,” and began dating. In 1950, just six months after they graduated, they married.
Mrs. Conover taught elementary education, and her husband worked at Aetna Insurance Company. From 1952-1954 William served as a lieutenant in the Navy during the Korean War. They arrived in Pittsburgh in 1954 and her husband was hired by a local firm. After settling in Upper St. Clair, Mrs. Conover devoted herself to raising the couple’s five children: David, Sue, Patricia, Ann, and Katherine.
William, who had served as president of the Upper St. Clair Republican Club from 1965-1966, won the Republican seat in the House of Representatives in a special election caused by the death of U.S. Representative James G. Fulton. After serving from 1972-1973, he returned to his business interests, becoming the president and owner of Conover & Associates, a Pittsburgh insurance firm.
Nancy was an active member of Christ United Methodist Church throughout her life, serving as president of the church’s chapter of United Methodist Women and participating in prayer groups, Bible studies, and fundraising for special projects. As a member of the church’s Outreach Committee, Nancy regularly volunteered to stay outdoors downtown and round up street people to find them shelter. In addition she was a member of the group that established the Wesley Institute, now Wesley Spectrum Services, an organization that reaches out to troubled children.
On April 16, 2003, at the age of 75, Nancy died of cancer. She is survived by William, her five children, and over a dozen grandchildren.
The fund is designated for the charitable purposes of The Pittsburgh Foundation.
Type of Fund
- Advised