HOUSTON, Texas Robert G. Conner, a successful former home builder who joined his son and wife in the motorcoach industry at Sierra Stage Coaches here in 1986, has died after losing a fight to a rare blood disorder. He was 82.

Mr. Conner joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and served in the Pacific Theater until he was discharged in 1946.

He returned to Houston and attended the University of Houston where he graduated in 1949. He began his career as a home builder in Houston in 1951. His building and real estate development career lasted four decades.

In 1986, Mr. Conner went to work at Sierra Stage Coaches, a company his son, Robert, and wife, A.C. Marie Conner, had founded in 1982. He was Sierras operations manager.

In 1998, Mr. Conner formed Gulf Charters and joined the Trailways Transportation System , operating under the name Gulf Trailways based in Fort Meyers, Fla. He operated the company for five years before the downturn in the Florida economy after 9/11 forced him to close. He moved his five buses to Houston and they were incorporated into the Sierra fleet.

At that point, Mr. Conner resumed his duties as operations manager of Sierra, which had joined the Trailways system in 1995. He continued to be active in the company until his death last month. He attended UMA Motorcoach Expo in San Francisco a year ago.

Mr. Conners home-building and real estate background gave him unique insight into the operations of a bus company, both being tough, thin-margin businesses.

Mr. Conner was an avid yachtsman, building three sailboats and owning 35 boats during his lifetime, and held a commercial airplane pilots license.

Besides his son, Mr. Conner is survived by a grandson and granddaughter.

A memorial has been established in Mr. Conners name at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, 6720 Bertner Ave., Houston, Texas 77030.