Horticulturist.
Born on 20 April 1959 to Beverly Jean Sager (1934-2019) and Edward James Connery, he was raised in Portage la Prairie and grew up working on the family farm. He attended Arthur Meighen High School. In 1985, he married Beth and they went on to have two children.
Both his grandparents and great-grandparents had been market gardeners, and in 1962, his father established Connery’s Riverdale Farms, a market garden specializing in vegetables, near Portage la Prairie. After his father was elected as a Member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly in 1988, Jeffrey and his brother Douglas James “Doug” Connery took over, with Jeffrey as head of field operations. By then, the 1000-acre Riverdale Farms had grown into one of Manitoba’s largest vegetable-producing companies, with 600 acres devoted to market gardening. Upon the death of Douglas in 2011, Jeffrey became the head of the business. Described as “a private, behind-the-scenes person, and more farmer and fieldman than number-cruncher,” he brought to the farm a strong connection to nature and loved growing the crops he knew so well. In spring of 2011, he was devastated by the threat of some of his farm being flooded when the Manitoba government made the controversial decision to conduct a controlled flood by cutting a dike on the Assiniboine River.
Most of his spare time was spent outdoors with family and friends, hunting, fishing, boating, motorcycling, and snowmobiling.
He died at Portage la Prairie on 22 June 2012 and was buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery. His death occurred during the high season on the farm and only six months after the passing of his brother. Yet, his father, wife, and two grown children were able to continue the year’s production. The business is currently called Connery Berries and Connery’s Riverdale Farm and is still operated by the Connery family. Beth Connery became a spokesperson for the importance of farm families managing stress and maintaining mental health.
Obituary, The Graphic Leader, 26 June 2012.
“Farm family grieves amid busy season,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 July 2012.
“Family is everything for young vegetable farmer,” Manitoba Co-operator, 24 September 2019.
“Hoop and Holler dike breach effects linger a year later,” CBC News, 14 May 2012.
“Farmer shares story of loss, struggles,” Brandon Sun, 4 November 2019.
“Jeffrey Edward Connery,” King Family Tree, Ancestry.
Jeffrey Edward Connery, FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 6 February 2026
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
