Jonathan Ray Conrad, 63, departed this life on September 5, 2015 in Jerome, Missouri, due to a tragic highway accident on I-44. He was a resident of Springfield, Missouri. Jonathan was born on January 1, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois to Ray Dell and Marian Jean (Griffith) Conrad. He attended Pleasant View Elementary, Hillcrest High School in Springfield, MO and graduated from Kansas University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. In between high school and college he served in the United States Army. During his years as a Chemical Engineer he worked in Texas, Wyoming and Maryland. Jonathan had a very curious and inquiring mind and was always learning new and interesting subjects. As a young person his fascination with electricity had him continually wiring up some new contraption. He was a lover of music and had accomplished playing many instruments including the piano, guitar, saxophone, and accordion. He loved discovering new artists to listen to, leading to his extensive collection of CD's. His latest discovery was doing Tai Chi and Yoga, which brought great relief to a pain-ridden body. If you wanted to discuss politics or religion, be prepared- he could talk for hours. He is survived by his mother, Marian Jean Conrad, of Springfield; his sisters, Charie Conrad of Rogersville and Becky (Conrad) Chittenden and husband Kevin, of Springfield. Also surviving him are his niece, Emily Chittenden Laird and husband Will; his nephew, Zachary Chittenden; and great-nieces and nephews, Madison, Reagan, Liam, Jackson and Conrad. His father, Ray Dell Conrad, of Hot Springs, AR preceded him in death. A celebration of his life will be Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home.