Conor Barbezat Hughes Obituary (1989 - 2024)

Conor Barbezat Hughes, age 34, passed away unexpectedly on February 2, 2024 at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Conor was born on April 19, 1989 to James W. Hughes and Debra A. Barbezat in Northampton, Massachusetts. He attended school in Waterville, Maine. Conor was an avid musician, learning violin in school, and African drumming from a master African drummer. He then continued to teach himself to play drums, guitar, and mandolin. While attending Waterville High School, he was a two-time member of the State Champion Waterville Science Olympiad team and loved playing drums with his rock band. Conor was very active in the Alfond Youth and Community Center in Waterville, where he earned his black belt in Hen Sen Ryu Karate with Club Naha. He earned his B.A. in Economics with Honors at The University of Chicago, and was on the verge of receiving his Ph.D in Economics from The University of Minnesota. At each stage of his life, he made many lifelong friends. After graduating from Chicago, he worked at Cornerstone Research in Menlo Park, California; the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Conor is survived by his mother, Debra Barbezat, of Falmouth Foreside, Maine; his father and stepmother, James and Rhonda Hughes, of Fredericksburg, Texas; stepsister, Ashley Smith and her husband, Jimmy Ngo, of Firestone, Colorado; stepbrother, Clayton Smith and his wife, Rebecca, of Fredericksburg, Texas; uncle, John Hughes and family of Golden Valley, Minnesota; and uncle, John Barbezat and family of Yonkers, New York. Conor is also survived by his many friends all over the world who he loved and who in turn loved him deeply. Conor is preceded in death by grandparents, Maurice and Anna Barbezat of Yonkers, New York; and grandparents John and Betty Hughes of Ormond Beach, Florida. Conor was buried beside his beloved grandparents February 8, 2024, in private services at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Yonkers, New York. Memorials may be made to the Alfond Youth and Community Center, 126 North St., Waterville, ME 04901.