Edwin Runner Staffen was born the son of Finnish immigrant homesteaders in a log cabin in Conover.  He served his country in both World War II and Korea, and made his career working for the railroad in Northern Wisconsin.  After moving away for his work, retirement allowed him to return home to Conover, where he was an active member of community service clubs.  He was known for singing county and folk music at area resorts and festivals, making a killer plate of spaghetti, and his love of the game of horseshoes.  After his passing, the Edwin R. Staffen Memorial Horseshoe Court in the Conover Town Park was dedicated on July 8, 1979, and rededicated on July 4, 2024.