Joe Conley (March 3, 1928 – July 7, 2013) was an American actor who played many small roles on television and is most remembered for his role as the storekeeper Ike Godsey in ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

''.

Personal life and career

Joe Conley was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He started acting after returning from military service in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

, and was running three real-estate agencies in the San Fernando Valley area of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

by the early 1970s after beginning this second career in 1961. While acting, he continued to work in real estate and, as a result, became wealthy.Anthony Haywar
"Joe Conley: Actor best known as Ike Godsey in ''The Waltons''"
''The Independent'' (London), 25 July 2013 By the early 1970s, his career as an actor was in limbo. After twenty years of small parts in mainly television shows, he performed with

Pat Harrington Pat Harrington may refer to: *Pat Harrington Sr. (1901–1965), Canadian actor *Pat Harrington Jr. (1929–2016), his son, American actor *Pat Harrington (soccer) Pat Harrington (born April 17, 1965) is a Canadian former professional soccer play ...

in an AT&T educational film called ''How to Lose Your Best Customer Without Even Trying'' before he was cast as storekeeper Ike Godsey in ''

''. Conley was paired with

Ronnie Claire Edwards Ronnie Claire Edwards (February 9, 1933 – June 14, 2016) was an American actress, best known for playing Corabeth Walton Godsey on the TV series ''The Waltons''. Early life Edwards was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Acting caree ...

, who portrayed his bossy wife Corabeth Walton Godsey; their characters married in the show during 1975. In 2009, Conley published his autobiography, ''Ike Godsey of Walton's Mountain''. He was married to and divorced from Jacqueline Stakes, with whom he had two children. He married Louise Teecher in 1969 and had two children with her.

Death

Conley died on July 7, 2013, at a care facility in

Newbury Park, California Newbury Park is a populated place and townReal Estate Communications, Inc. (1984). ''California Real Estate Directory''. Page 201. in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks, California, Thous ...

of complications from

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

. He was 85 and is survived by his wife, three daughters and son.

Filmography

References

Bibliography

*''

Zoobilee Zoo ''Zoobilee Zoo'' is a children's television series featuring actors dressed as animal characters that originally aired from 1986 to 1987. It continued to run in syndication until 2000 on several television channels including commercial network ...

'' (1986) *''Ike Godsey of Walton's Mountain.'' Albany: BearManor Media, 2010.

External links

* 1928 births 2013 deaths Male actors from Buffalo, New York American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from dementia in California Writers from Buffalo, New York 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors The Waltons {{US-screen-actor-1920s-stub