John D. Bonds
John was born October 25, 1941 in Corinth, Mississippi to John E. and Ona F. Bonds. He spent most of his youth in Mobile, Alabama with his five younger siblings. John attended the University of Alabama where he received his PhD in Chemistry. He enjoyed being in the Alabama Million Dollar Band and in Theta Chi Fraternity during his college years. After college, he worked as a civilian at Eglin Air Force Base before moving to Gainesville, Florida in 1971. He worked at Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) for more than thirty years. Later he moved to Environmental Consulting and Technology (ECT). John continued his love of music playing trombone for 47 years in the Gainesville Community Band. He was a huge sports fan, mainly the University of Alabama and also the Florida Gators, as long as they weren’t playing against Alabama. In his free time, he enjoyed painting, photography, and hunting. His friends and family recognized that he had a fantastic memory and often remembered details and events others forgot. He also enjoyed playing bridge with his friends and had a wicked sense of humor. John enjoyed traveling especially to St. Maarten and Colorado.
He was preceded in death by his father, John E. Bonds. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Carole Powell Bonds, his daughters, Kelley (Dale) Kostamo and Kim Bonds; his grandchildren, Caroline Kostamo, Zak Kostamo and John Riley Bonds, his mother, Ona F. Bonds and his brother and sisters: Sandra (John) Howard, Diane (Vinson) Harris, Sheila (Fred) Shell, Gary (Burma) Bonds, and Darlene Bonds. He also has many beloved nieces and nephews and his German exchange-student son Axel (Helen) Rothe.
The Celebration of Life service will be held, Saturday, May 29th, 2021 at 2pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gainesville. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Gainesville Community Band, The American Heart Association or a charity of your choice.
Over 40 years of being colleague and friend with John I have seen him angry just once, smiling and happy the rest of the time. That was only one of many ways in which John showed us what a kind and decent man he was. We’d get together every time on my twice per year visits to Gville and, after the obligatory family status updates, get right down to rehashing the old stories, people we endured at work, and fishing and hunting adventures. He was happy, I was happy, and we regretted that COVID interrupted these sessions. But in a call 10 days ago we scheduled our next breakfast for mid-June.
I don’t think John asked much of this world…to appreciate his love and respect for his family, to share in his excitement for getting a chance to participate in Gary’s Alabama hunting camps and listen to the resulting stories, to enjoy his enthusiasm for travel, and to be invited to occasional fishing trips and get-togethers with his friends.
In sum, John was a thoroughly decent man and dependable friend…wish there were more like him.. Wiese