Timothy Gerard Conrardy was born March 25th , 1957 in Paris France. After praying and receiving a communion from Father Padre Pio, his parents Bill and Betty Conrardy were able to conceive.
Tim lived the first years of his life in Paris France with his older brother David Conrardy and his younger sister Maribeth. After leaving France his family moved to isaquah, washington where two additional members of the family, Craig and Patrick were born. In Washington my father had many adventures with his siblings climbing moutains, starting astronomy clubs, looking at pond life and learning music , which would develop into a life time passion.
In 1972, the conrardy family moved to Mclean Virginia where Tim attended high school. I remember him telling me that his band won the battle of the bands in high school but it was probably because all the girls thought the lead singer was so good looking.
After high school, Tim moved to the bay area in California where he has lived for the last 30 years. Working part time in a nursing home kitchen with his sister Maribeth, my father went to classes at DeAnza Community College. It was while working as a tutor for an electronic music class where he met my mother, Diane, the love of his life for the last 30 years. It was at DeAnza College where my father also met one of his greatest electronic music mentors, Dr. Allen Strange. My father and Dr. Allen Strange kept in contact up until last year when Dr. Strange passed away.
In August of 1980, my father and mother were married at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Palo Alto. I remember my mom telling me that daddy always be willing to go out and take the bus to go shopping or whatever needed to be done as they did not have a car at that time . Always cheerful, always with a smile on his face.
I remember when I was little my dad used to color with me, bake with me, and watch movies with me. With our endless trips to the library, my dad taught me about classical music and encouraged me as I began to play the violin in the third grade. Every halloween we used to carve a pumkin together and then would go trick-or-treating. When we returned from trick-or-treating my dad would then put a speaker out the window and would play “scary music” on his keyboards. Even when I left for college and was no longer home on halloween, he still would play “scary music” for the trick-or-treaters.
In 2003, my father was diagnosed with vertigo and had to stay home from work on disability leave. My father was not able to drive or do normal every day tasks without feeling dizzy. What turned out to be a hardship was then transformed into a blessing as my dad was able to focus more on his music on days when he was feeling better. Eventually my dad slowly recovered from his vertigo and by this time was offerred a job by Camel Audio. It was during this time that he really became known for his sound design and truly enjoyed playing with all his music gagets and instruments.
In addition to his love for music, my dad had a passion for astronomy. My father would go out observing and would make intricate notes about what he saw each night. My father also loved the Lord of the Rings Triology, Star Trek and Star Wars. His favorite books included , My Side of the Mountain, Robinson Caruso, and Sherlock Holmes. He truly loved sharing what he enjoyed with others and was also a great father.
I remember that my dad always encouraged me in whatever I tried to do—music, school, whatever it was, my parents were always be there to support me.
My father taught me patience, kindness, and unconditional love. He taught me about music and about nature and curiosity. My dad had un-ending cheerfulness and gentleness about him.
Here is an example of some of the nice things that have been written since my father’s passing:
Tim was one of the most decent and renowned sound designers I have every had the good fortune to know.
His selfless contributions to the sound design industry were unparallelled and he was always the first to help and advise.
Tim was a great inspiration for many and great musician as well
Tim was a true gentleman, intelligent and witty. His love for synthesis and his skills in sound design were an inspiration.
With sound, he painted the cosmos for us
To my father Thanks for being the best daddy a girl could have.
Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for life and music with us. We will always miss you.
Thanks to those who had video to share! They are sooooo TIM!!! Love it.