Joseph Francis Conway

Joseph Francis Conway, age 82, died peacefully on Tuesday, February 25th at his home in Jersey City, NJ. Born in Long Island City, Queens to John and Annie Bird Conway, he attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, New York where he ran track and cheered.

Joe turned down a full-ride to Manhattan College to pursue his dream of Nuclear Engineering at Columbia College School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He funded his college and graduate career by working heavy construction over the summers and graduated with a Master's Degree in Nuclear Engineering in five years.

At Columbia he was a member of the Sigma Nu - "The Animal Zoo" as he called it - fraternity where an invite to a party through a mutual friend was accepted by a Marymount College student and his future wife, Paula Lupiano.

Upon graduating, he worked for ConEdison where his projects included performing initial reactor criticality tests on US nuclear powered attack submarines. While at ConEdison, he attended New York University's Stern School of Business MBA Finance program at night.

He subsequently changed careers and spent over twenty years working for Prudential Insurance. Highlights of his career there include being Managing Director and Co-head of the Portfolio Management Group where he co-directed Prudential Insurance's General Account investment program growing it from inception to $36 billion in invested assets. He ended his career with Prudential working relationship management and marketing to Prudential Insurance.

He was noted throughout his career for his ability to create novel, complex financial engineering solutions to business problems including work pioneering IO/PO Strip Bonds and other derivative securities. His children grew up hearing from his friends and co-workers that he was always "the smartest guy in the room" and proved it to his family when he figured out how to set a rig for a sixteen foot Christmas tree that was threatening to fall over.

After retiring from Prudential, Joe joined Greenberg & Rapp where he applied the skills he had practiced with large corporations to craft solutions for high-net worth individuals using insurance and annuities. He subsequently formed Indigo Capital Management with his son that developed longevity-based derivatives for pension funds.

Throughout his life Joe loved to run & workout, play golf (leading to an eponymous tournament with his friends in the 80s called The Conway Humility), build things, make breakfast for his family, take pictures of wildlife, and in his later years, dote on his granddaughter, Olivia. He was always available and always listened, no matter who was speaking. He believed in his children, offering them all the opportunities he had available to thrive and grow, and through it all loved his wife immensely.

He is survived by his wife Paula, son Christopher and daughter-in-law Cindy, daughter Alex and granddaughter Olivia Jane. A private reception will be held for friends and family in Jersey City. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.