Jeffrey Conlin

Jeffrey J. Conlin, age 79, passed away peacefully at his home on January 20, 2026, surrounded by his loving family after a lengthy battle with Alheizmer's disease.

He is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Donna Nelson Conlin; son, Jacob (Sharon) Conlin; daughters, Jennifer Conlin, Casey Paoletti (Dane), Kimberly Splain and Heather Pearsall; his grandchildren Meghan R. Valentine (Andrew); Alexis R. Castro (Luciano); Emma L. Pearsall; Fionna Conlin and Murphy Paoletti; three great-grandchildren Kingston Castro, Elliana Castro and Peyton Valentine and his brother Timothy Conlin. He was predeceased by his parents Russell J. Conlin and Ethyl Norma Wurster Conlin.

Jeff was a life-long resident of the Town of Schodack and graduated from Schodack Central High School. In 1965 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in An Khe Vietnam for almost a year. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with Service Star and the Expert Rifle Badge. He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant on December, 1968.

Upon his return from the army, he followed his love of building. He worked with friends and family doing small contracting jobs. He became the owner of the village hardware store and then soon established his own electrical and small repair business. At that time, he was the Building Inspector for the Village of Castleton.

In 1986, he was appointed by the Town of Schodack as the Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer. While working with the town, he became the unofficial Mr. Fix-it with no task too big or too small. Due to his love of photography, he served as the town's official photographer creating a pictorial journal for over two decades adding to the rich history of the town. Additionally, he also served as the Building Inspector for the Village of Nassau. Lastly, he worked for the Department of Veteran's Affairs, doing inspections for veterans who were having their homes transformed to accommodate special needs. In every role, he distinguished himself as a person of outstanding ability, establishing a high standard of integrity and imparted a sense of fairness to all involved. He retired in 2010, but continued his work for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

He was a life-long member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, a member of the Schodack Republican Club and served as Commissioner of the South Schodack Fire Company.

He loved his family, woodworking, photography, traveling, fishing and gardening. On any given night he could be found in his basement workshop creating, repairing or designing a new invention to help mankind, which could be found in his "patent book" and hopefully make him a millionaire. He loved the adventure of traveling and began by going to South Carolina with all the kids. Never wanting to venture off course, the trip was precisely mapped out weeks in advance; however, Donna was the co-pilot and didn't have the same attention to map reading, so things didn't always go as planned. As the years went by it was semi-annual vacations with his wife and several granddaughters to Cape Cod. He finally realized his dream vacation to Ireland and Amsterdam, being the only one in his family to find his grandfather's original home. While Jeff enjoyed his vacations, the thing that made him the happiest was the time spent with family; whether it was winter picnics, birthdays, holidays, summer pool days, or just a stop-by, he always embraced the time spent together. In his down time, you could find him in his shop smoking his pipe and working on a project, or watching TV while sitting in his recliner with a Brandy Manhattan, just simple pleasures. His greatest joy came from being with his wife, his children, grandchildren and great-children.

He and Donna were soulmates and through the years their love grew stronger. Rarely, was one seen without the other - forever soulmates. Even though he was struck with Alzheimer's Disease in 2011, he made every day count. They learned to live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow or yesterday, which became a way of life that they both embraced.

Fondly known as "MacGyver" by many of his friends and "Poppy Fix-it" by his family, he always seemed to find a way to fix the impossible given the tools on hand. He was a person of commitment, integrity and an impressive role model. His memory will live in the hearts of all who were lucky enough to have the privilege of knowing him. You are home, you are safe, you are loved.

Calling hours will be held Tuesday, January 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Castleton Funeral Home, 59 Seaman Ave. Castleton. Funeral service will be Wednesday January 28, at the Castleton Funeral Home at 10:00 a.m., followed by interment in Horizon View Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association or The Community Hospice Foundation, 310 S. Manning Blvd., Albany NY 12208.