Eneas Eugene “In-Ya” Conko was born on June 24, 1979 to Kathleen “Kitty” Barnaby Conko and Eneas Conko, SR. In-Ya’s maternal grandparents the late Martha Curley and the late John P. “Bud” Barnaby.
In-ya's paternal grandparents are the late Louise Adams and William Conko. In-ya's siblings are D.J. Omingo, Nicolette Conko, and Shanna Conko. Nieces and nephews are Tashina Crom, Kristina Omingo, Mariah Omingo, Dominique Omingo, Larrs Omingo, Delicia Blackweasel, Trentin Blackweasel, Trevor Blackweasel, Josiah Bird, and Tehya Hammer, Robia Conko, Brandon Conko, Kyra Carpenter.
In-ya spent his childhood between Browning and Idaho. He had a smirk on his face when sharing the story of how he would end up in Idaho to stay with his Auntie Ponce when he would "raise cane" with his mom, so she would send him to Auntie Ponce in hopes she would be able to knock some sense into him. When his mischievous ways caught up to him in Idaho, he would call his mom to pick him up, which she did happily.
In 2002 In-ya returned to the Flathead reservation and shared a home with his mom, Kathy, and dad, In-ya Sr. At that time In-ya Sr. worked with his brother John Conko doing fencing jobs. In-ya and his dad often sat with each other before In-ya Sr. Left for work, visiting as his dad finished his cup of coffee before he headed out the door. He loved his time with his dad.
Not long after returning home, In-ya met his children's mother Vanessa, they had 5 children throughout the 14 years together, Ravyn, Kathleen, Shane, Adriana, and Eneas known as Tre, however In-ya's first kids were actually his niece, Delicia, and nephews, Trentin, Trevor, and Josiah.
He helped his sister Nicolette with the kids any time she needed him to step in as she had done for In-ya's kids over the years. Once he had kids of his own, he quickly became a family man, trading in his beloved 2 door teal firebird car for a minivan.
But if you knew In-ya, he put time and effort into turning that minivan into something that he would turn heads in. He prided himself in not being like others, and his vehicles definitely showed just that... his uniqueness.... In-ya was truly one of a kind.
In-ya suffered from a broken back from a car accident in 2003. Doctors told him and his family that he would probably not walk again. As a new dad and as stubborn as In-ya was, that wasn't an option for him. He pushed through all of the pain and proved the doctors' wrong. After months of rehabilitation, In-ya was on his feet. He tried not to let his injuries slow him down, so if he was in any pain, he kept it to himself.
As In-yas family grew, he worked various jobs to support his family, from Forestry thinning trees with his brothers, Sonny Burke, and Pat Hammer to being a van driver for DHRD, and fighting wildfires with CSKT Forestry and his most loved job selling cars. In-ya was quick with his words, and his personality always made anyone he was talking to feel like family even if he just met them, which made him one of the best salesmen around. When In- ya wasn't busy working, he volunteered his time to coach his nephews basketball and baseball teams as well as help out at the Pablo raceway, where he was the flagger for the races. He also volunteered his time to the Ronan Volunteer Fire Department. In-ya liked to keep busy, so outings with his family were an everyday thing.
When his mom suffered from a stroke, he was by her side as much as he could be. When Kathy wasn't able to be home, he and Nicolette would visit and check her out of the nursing home to go on day trips. In-ya would enter the nursing home, walking through the hallway, making it known that he was there for her by calling out "Mamacita".
In-ya and the family lost both In-ya Sr. and Kathy in 2008. A loss he never could accept, but he found comfort in his family. He tried to make it a point to spend more time with his brother, D.J., and sister, Nicolette. He was also grateful for his children's grandparents, Veronica, whom he referred to as "Mama V" and Bruce Laursen. His Auntie/Mom, Marie Torosian, was a big part of his life during his tough times away from his family, she stepped in to support him and his family. He was very appreciative of his large extended family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews and friends who have over the years became family. All of whom have played different roles in his life.
In-ya loved being on the road; oftentimes, he would spontaneously pack the family up for a trip to visit his family in Idaho and Washington. He was proud of the family he made and loved to show them off. He often talked about an outing with Auntie Ponce; she took Ravyn to his first Monster Truck show in Spokane.
He enjoyed taking his family camping and swimming at Blue Bay, or driving the kids through the bison range, and he especially enjoyed his time fishing with his brother, D.J. He often boasted about D.J. knowing the best fishing spots. His best days were spent with D.J. and all of his nieces and nephews swimming at Mission Dam.
In-ya had a close relationship with his sister, Nicolette. She was practically his 2nd mom growing up. He loved her more than she could ever know. He knew he could always count on her no matter what and vice-versa. Their bond was unbreakable.
Although In-ya’s life was cut short, he lived a full life with everyone he loved.
Inya spent the remainder of his life with his fiance, Talia, and their pup Kilo. They took roadtrips to Arizona to visit his children. Their most recent trip was to spend time with his kids and celebrate Eneas' 10th birthday and Adriana's 12th birthday this last October. In-ya was happy to be able to share his kids with Talia. They got to spend time together at the Arizona State Fair during their last visit. A memory the kids will forever cherish.
Quick poem:
The world changes from year to year,
Our lives from day to day,
But the love and memory of you,
Shall never pass away.
He met his wife TaLia JoDeen Conko in 2013 and stayed with her till his last day. He moved right in with her in Ronan by the. Hospital. He loved going to Great falls and Browning to visit his brothers Billy Vaughn and Zeke. As life would have it he had struggles and spent time in prison for which he learned the skill of horse hair hitching. Upon his rehabilitation he came home to be with Talia and they lived in Ronan up until the day he passed. He spent all his time with Talia, he loved her unconditionally. He was always his nieces and nephews favorite uncle, he was always there for them whenever they needed him and he would spoil them every chance he'd get. He had nothing but unconditional love for everyone that he cared about. When he loved you he would give it his all and then some. He loved to travel from WA, ID and AZ with his wife to go visit all their families. His favorite trips of all was when they would go visit his kids. He loved his kids with all of his heart and soul, they meant the world to him. The last trip they took to AZ was the best trip of them all. He got to spend 3-4 weeks with his kids and brought them all to all the water parks and Arizona state fair. They stayed in a really nice Airbnb. It was really hard for them to leave the kids back in AZ because he really enjoyed and loved the feeling of having his wife and Kids all under one roof so much. When they got back to MT he bought them a handsome all white Pitbull puppy named KeyLo Conko who he loved and adored so much. He spoiled him every chance he got. He would never come out of the store without a toy or treat for him. He really loved playing with his RC trucks that can go up to 80mph. If he wasn't bashing them around he would be fixing them or painting them. His wife would even get jealous of his trucks because they got so much of his attention. He was genuinely happy with the way he was living with his wife and their dog KeyLo. He was happy to be getting closer with his kids and having them back in his life. He was so happy he finally gained all his weight back. He had one of the best sense of humors ever. He would always have something to say to make you laugh or tease you and pick on you in a funny way just to make you laugh or laugh at you :) he was one that would give you a helping hand anytime someone needed it. Was even willing to give the shirt of his back or his last dollar if needed. He always wanted to make sure everyone he loved was well taken care of and make sure they were decked out in the best Jordan gear out there. He was one flashy person who always needed and had the best of everything and was always proud to show it off.
In-Ya leaves behind many family members whom he loved, his children, nieces’ nephews, aunties, uncles, his brother and sisters, cousins, friends and his love Talia. Life will never be the same without him but we know he watches over us from heaven above.
