Obituary of Thomas H. Bonner

Thomas Harmon Bonner Sr., 79, was born October 8, 1935 to Gladys R. and Fay (Whitworth) Bonner, Macks Creek, Missouri. He passed away January 24, 2015 at Banner Estrella Hospital, Glendale, Arizona. He graduated from Macks Creek High School, 1953. He met and married his wife Anna Hochstedler in Kansas City, Missouri, November, 1953. Tom earned a B.A. in Sociology at William Jewell College. He served his country proudly as an enlisted member and as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force for over 20 years. Tom and Anna have 5 children, 17 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. He served God throughout his lifetime, wherever he was. He was an ordained Baptist deacon and an ordained Baptist Minister serving as pastor of three Baptist Churches after he retired in 1977 from the Air Force. He also taught industrial arts classes at Macks Creek High School. His children and grandchildren brought him great joy. They are Angela and Maune Coburn of Newbury Park, CA; Christine and Richard Shepard of Fairview Heights, Il; Valerie and George Horner, Jr. of Prescott Valley, AZ; Laurie and Mark Nickless of De Soto, MO; and son Thomas and Athena Bonner Jr. of Waddell, AZ. Over the years, home was wherever God and his career took him. Tom and Anna have called nine states and the United Kingdom home. Tom flew for the Strategic Air Command Headquarters out of Offut Air Force Base in Omaha as a missile officer. He also commanded a squadron at Paiku Air Base, Vietnam. He spent his time in Vietnam traveling throughout the country setting up vital communications. Whether he was a minister, military officer, teacher, or baseball coach, Tom was comfortable in any role and executed it with excellence. For the past several years, Tom had enjoyed retired life as a �Snowbird� with Anna, spending 6 months during the winter in Arizona and six months of spring and summer in Missouri. In the early morning of January 24th, Tom left his earthly home for the freedom from pain in this world and to the joy of his heavenly home in the peace of his savior God. He will be greatly missed by all who know and love him.