Con Rader

Cornelius Dean Rader, fondly known as Con, completed his journey on earth on October 24, 2025, in Fullerton, California at the age of 94. His passing marks the end of a remarkable expedition defined by a keen interest in the world around him, a strong desire to help others, and steadfast devotion to his family.

Con was born on the Fielding Family Farm in Hayes County, Nebraska on September 12, 1931. He was the eldest of five children born to Roland Randall Rader and Louise (Fielding) Rader. Working on the farm gave him early training in repairing agricultural equipment, which would spur a lifelong interest in engineering and tinkering with all things mechanical.

After Con graduated from Hayes Center High School, he continued his mechanical training when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and was assigned to maintain on-base refrigeration and heating units. He was stationed in Maine and Louisiana, which opened his eyes to the wider world beyond rural Nebraska and sparked his appreciation for travel and experiencing new cultures.

Following his military service, Con married his high school sweetheart, Bonnie Jean Richter. Bonnie recalled her attraction to Con: "He was so nice and so smart and so handsome." The newlyweds began their life in Lincoln, Nebraska, where they both earned Master's Degrees at the University of Nebraska, Con in Biomedical Engineering and Bonnie in Home Economics. Con's inventive spirit put him ahead of his time. For example, he created a robot at the University of Nebraska in the early 1950s. His first major engineering position was with Beckman Instruments in Palo Alto. At the same time, Bonnie started her university teaching career at nearby San Jose State. Ahead of his time in many ways, Con was always supportive of his wife's career, which was not typical at that time.

Together, Con and Bonnie raised two children. David was born on February 12, 1961. Diana was born on April 4, 1965. As parents, they always ensured David and Diana had vast opportunities to explore a variety of interests and pursue academic excellence. Among Con's many contribution's in this regard were helping David build a competitive soap box derby for the boy scouts, rolling up his sleeves to ensure Diana had an outstanding science project, showing up annually for career day at school, and stepping up as primary parent while Bonnie pursued her doctorate in Oklahoma in their summer program. Con was a true partner with Bonnie.

Con later joined Perkin-Elmer, providing engineering and technical support to sales teams and hospitals across the U.S., Canada, and Germany. He enjoyed giving presentations at conferences and would later teach community college classes in his spare time. Always service-minded, he volunteered his time on both Villa Park City Council and as an officer in the Orange County Heart Association.

In 1988, Con was recruited to PPG Industries to lead a new division inspired by his own proposal—that every physician should have a handheld device to manage patient records. Long before smartphones or electronic medical records existed, he was already imagining them.

Outside of work, Con loved reading history, science, travel, and any project that let him tinker or solve a problem. Together, he and Bonnie explored Europe, Asia, and North America.

Con put his passion for service, computers and information technology to use in retirement by setting up and managing the computer labs at Cal State Long Beach and at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He especially enjoyed helping lab users develop mastery with computers and audio/visual equipment, an activity he continued to pursue for residents at Morningside.

Con is survived by his beloved wife of over 71 years, Bonnie Jean Rader; his son, David Rader; daughter, Diana Rader Zisselman and son-in-law, Jeffrey Zisselman. Con recently reminisced that "All My Memories are Good" and those who knew him can say the same of him—all the memories he leaves behind are good ones. He will be remembered as a curious, happy, kind, brilliant, and deeply decent man — a builder, a teacher, a husband, a father, and a true lifelong learner whose good-nature and curiosity left a lasting mark on everyone he met.

Con was preceded in death by his parents, Roland Randall ("Rann") and Louise (Fielding) Rader; his siblings, Roland ("Swede") Rader, Jane (Rader) Peterson, Linda (Rader) Jones, and Gary Rader; and by his in-laws, Harold ("Hal") and Hazel (Clough) Richter, and brothers-in-law Buddy Lee Richter and Delmar Richter.

Memorial Service:

2:00 PM, Friday, November 14th
Morningside of Fullerton
Lakeview Hall
800 Morningside Dr, Fullerton, CA 92835


Memorial contributions may be made to https://fisherhouse.org/ to honor the memory of Con Rader. A Memorial Service will be held on November 14, 2025, from 02:00 PM to 03:15 PM at Morningside of Fullerton, Lakeview Hall 800 Morningside Drive. United States

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