June Irene (Delap) Bonds |
| Posted 2008-12-11 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Camp Verde Bugle, Camp Verde, Arizona Tuesday, October 28, 2008 June Irene Bonds died Oct. 23, 2008. She was born Aug. 7, 1926, in Granby, Mo., to Nell and Elmer Delap. Her parents were both descendants of Scots-Irish settlers of the American South and the Cherokee people whom they found there. June was the second of four children among her brothers Darryl, Robert and Jerry. As a small child, June and her mother both suffered from life threatening asthma. Her father sold his ice company in Newton County, Mo., combined an ice truck and travel trailer to build one of the first motor homes and moved to Arizona. June grew up in a house her father mostly built in what is now South Phoenix. She attended Phoenix Union High School. June met Ken Bonds in her early teens when he became the family's paperboy. Ken would deliver his route till he got to June's house, and June's younger brother, Bobby, would complete the deliveries so Ken could spend time with June. The couple eloped on Feb. 27, 1943, in the midst of World War II. While Ken fought in the Pacific with the Navy, June kept busy working at Korrick's Department Store. After the War, June and Ken settled into family life back home in Phoenix, and Ken went to work for Greyhound bus lines in the early '50s. June found her spiritual home in the faith of her Gaelic ancestors when she came to the Catholic Church. June was baptized in 1955, along with daughter Sandra, followed later by Larry and Ken. Ken and June threw themselves into Church activities at St. Agnes Parish. June served in Our Lady's Sodality, serving multiple terms as Prefect. In the '60s, Ken and June bought a small lot in the Indian Gardens section of Oak Creek Canyon, and Ken started working out of Flagstaff during the summers. When Ken retired they replaced the Oak Creek trailer with a house they built themselves, and threw themselves into church and civic activities. They moved to Cottonwood when June's dementia began so they could be closer to medical facilities. Ken kept her at home for as long as he could care for her. When she was moved nursing facilities, he spent every day at her bedside, feeding her every meal when she became unable to feed herself. They celebrated their 65th Anniversary this past February. June is survived by four children: Lawrence, Sandra, Daniel and Mark; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. The Funeral Mass will be Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m. with the Rosary to begin at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Joan of Arc Church in Phoenix, Ariz. Interment will follow at the St. Francis Cemetery, also located in Phoenix, Ariz. An online guestbook is available at www.westcottfuneralhome.com. Westcott Funeral Home, Cottonwood, Arizona. See Also: Find a Grave |
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