Connie Conroy among those killed in Kirkwood city council meeting

Here is the note that I received this morning from Lynn Zipfel Venhaus:

Hello friends
Such sad news -- Connie Karr, our dear former St. Louis Globe-Democrat colleague we knew by the byline of Connie Conroy, was among those who died in the horrendous Kirkwood City Hall shooting Thursday evening. She was serving her second term on the city council.

(Did you have this feeling that she might be one of the victims? The thought crossed my mind...The TV stations didn't release names Thursday night, that's to be at a press conference Friday morning. Her death was one of the three out of the five victims reported on the stltoday.com website late, which I checked for updates -- after my usual nighttime habit of falling asleep on the couch! I'm so stunned, I wanted to get this word out in case you missed it.)

What a tragic loss! Connie attended the huge Globe reunion at Lucyann's house in Memorial Day Weekend '05, and if you were there, you may recall her using crutches after some sort of foot surgery. She talked about being on the Kirkwood City Council, and appeared to be very dedicated. (Photo attached: Nat Helms, Anita Kelso, me, Connie)

During her tenure as a reporter at the Globe -- as part of the Gluck and Veritas years 1984-86 -- she was a feisty one, and very supportive of her co-workers as well as pro-Guild. Like many of us, she worked very hard to keep the paper alive.

Was she among the staffers who first went to the judge the summer of '85 to force Gluck into bankruptcy? I can't remember (!), but it sounds like something she would have either been a part of -- or at least supported. She was very vocal, you might remember!

I would certainly describe her as a character, and so funny! She had that raspy voice, and was quick with a quip. She was very straightforward, calling it as she saw it - definitely speaking her mind. She was always so energetic and helpful, really fun to be around -- just a solid good person.

She was one of the chief organizers of the Globe party AFTER we got our bankruptcy checks -- was it '89? -- at the Missouri Grill. She wanted to have a contest to determine who had the most bounced paychecks, and so forth. She worked at Maritz by then.

It was during her time at the Globe that she started dating Rick Hummel, Post-Dispatch sportswriter. They got married and later divorced, and have a daughter together - Lauren, 15, her only child. (He offers kind remarks in the Post website article). She was remarried, but I don't recall if her husband accompanied her to the May '05 reunion.

I don't know about y'all, but after Nancy Miller's senseless killing Friday and now this, it's very upsetting. I'm just in shock.

At the very least, I would like to attend the wake/memorial service for Connie, so if anyone has the information when it becomes available, please pass it on.

In trying to track down some of your e-mail addresses, I came across some e-mails saved in my Globe file. Sure enough, there's one from her, dated May 26, 2005, in response to everyone's summary of the big, wonderful reunion:

A tip of the fedora to our wonderful host, hostess and organizing crew. Thank you so much for the fun reunion! (Did you collect enough money to cover expenses, like the tent?)

Connie (Conroy) Karr

May she rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
ord help us all.
Regards,
Lynn Zipfel Venhaus