Dr. Conan Castle
Conan Jennings Castle, 97, of Foxwood Springs in Raymore, Missouri passed away April 12, 2025. He was born June 19, 1927, in Ashby, Nebraska, the son of Jennings Young Castle and Mabel Luella Johnson Castle. On March 17, 1951, he was united in marriage to Patricia Helen Roop in Wichita, Kansas, a marriage that spanned 63 years.
Following graduation from North Platte (Nebraska) High School, he was drafted into the United States Army where he played trombone in the 90th AGF Band in Camp Robinson, Arkansas and The Army Ground Forces Band (now The Army Field Band) stationed in Ft. Meade, Maryland. He attended Doane College, and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Michigan. His teaching career included one year at Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen, South Dakota and six years at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. He joined the music faculty of Central Missouri State College (now University of Central Missouri) in 1959 where he conducted two choirs and taught voice, conducting, choral techniques, and music history. He retired in 1989 as Professor Emeritus of Music.
His honors included the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Faculty Award and the Byler Distinguished Faculty Award from the University of Central Missouri, the Platt Alumni Music Award from Doane College, and the Luther T. Spayde Award as Missouri ACDA Choral Director of the Year. The Choral Rehearsal Room in the Utt Music Building was named for him in 2020.
Dr. Castle served for ten years on the editorial board and as choral review editor of The Choral Journal. He was the author of many articles and reviews for the publication. He was the founder of the Worlds of Fun Festival of Choirs in 1975 and was choirmaster of the event until 1998. In 1988 he joined the adjudicating panel at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, returning annually for twenty-three years. Active in church music, he was director of the choir at First Christian Church in Warrensburg for many years. Conan was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Warrensburg where he was ordained an elder and sang in the Chancel Choir during his retirement years.
As a youngster Conan spent every summer working on the ranch of his uncle and aunt, Steen and Irma Castle, in the Nebraska Sandhills. After marriage he returned with Patricia to the ranch for a last summer with Steen and Irma, whom he regarded as second parents. During his last years he lived at Foxwood Springs in Raymore, MO, where he played trombone in the Foxwood Brass quintet, believed to have had the oldest average age of any brass group in the country.
Conan and Patricia camped with their three children in the United States and Canada and, in 1970, for two months in Europe. Conan and Patricia later traveled extensively throughout the world, in addition to visiting every state in the lower forty-eight.
Conan enjoyed his vegetable garden, considering a freshly picked tomato as one of the finer joys of life. He was an expert wood craftsman, creating small tables out of walnut from the Roop farm in Kansas and useful cutting boards out of scrap pieces of hardwood. He was an avid reader of a variety of authors from the great Russian novelists and all of the Maisie Dobbs books. He was also a storyteller for his children and grandchildren, creating tales whose main characters were Ricky the Raccoon, Henry Kurlenstein, or Old Alkali. He loved life and kept his sense of humor to the end.
Survivors include three children, Randall Castle and wife Jan of Lee's Summit, Carolyn Gordanier and husband Ron of Weaubleau, and Bruce Castle and wife Mary of Albuquerque, New Mexico; seven grandchildren, Ross Banta of Republic, Lance Banta of Blue Springs, Bryce Banta of Blue Springs, Nicholas Castle and wife Michelle of Westford, Massachusetts, Adam Castle and wife Amy of Lee's Summit, Emily and David Castle of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and eleven great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, his second parents, and his sister Joan Aines Castle Bauer.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 206 N. College St. in Warrensburg at 1:00 PM on Friday, July 18, 2025.
Memorial contributions are suggested to First Presbyterian Church in Warrensburg in care of the funeral home.