A Catholic funeral Mass and reception for Jimmy Conway have been scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25.
The former Portland Timbers player, Oregon State Beavers coach and Oregon soccer icon died Friday morning after a multiyear battle with trauma-induced dementia. He was 73.
The funeral Mass will be held at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland (1716 NW Davis Street) at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Parking is available to the rear of the church. Following the Mass, starting at 2:30, there will be a reception at the Multnomah Athletic Club.
Both events are open to all those who wish to attend.
Conway, a native of Dublin, Ireland, arrived in Portland in 1978 to play for the Timbers and he never left, evolving into one of the most influential soccer figures in Oregon history. He played five seasons for the Timbers, but made his greatest impact on youth soccer, serving as the director of coaching for the Oregon Youth Soccer Association for 28 years. He also coached for more than a decade at Oregon State and Pacific University.
In 2009, Conway was diagnosed with with dementia, a degenerative brain disease similar to Alzheimer’s, which his wife, Noeleen, said was caused by his many years of playing the sport he loved. Conway died Friday morning surrounded by his family.
As a way to honor Conway, the family has suggested contributions to Boston University toward research on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease associated with contact sports.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories