Eugene Bond
RONAN — Eugene Gerald Bond was born on March 26, 1931, to Marion and Merrille Bond. He died on Oct. 31, 2019. His father passed away when Eugene “Gene” was seven years old, of polio, leaving Marion and Gene’s only sister Barbara alone. Marion never remarried.
He entered the Navy at the age of sixteen and served on two battleships, the U.S.S. Shields and the U.S.S. Nickels. He met Alice Gertrude Wise at the Emmanuel Baptist Church, which was being held at the Palace Theatre in Missoula. She was seventeen and he was twenty-two. He then finished his tour in the Navy and attended Bob Jones University for two years. He left the school to go back to Montana to claim the woman who waited faithfully for him.
Gene and Alice were married at the newly constructed Emmanuel Baptist Church on Sept. 24, 1955. The couple moved to the Swan Valley where Gene worked alongside his father-in-law at a local lumber mill.
Gene later went into the field of law enforcement becoming a policeman, as a parole and probation officer and later became a liaison for Youth for Christ, working with juvenile offenders. He always had a passion for any activity that allowed both he and Alice to touch other people’s lives.
He and Alice worked for a time in Africa for their third daughter, Barbara Amato, but returned to Montana as that was their first love. Gene loved the Lord and he and Alice were always involved in church activities.
He will be missed by many. One of his great sources of love and pride were his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Eugene is survived by his four daughters and two sons: Linda (Aaron) Jones, Kathleen (Bruce) Richard, Barbara Amato, Laura (Steven) Snell, Mike (Beverly) Bond and Jonathan Bond. He is also survived by his sister, Barb (David) Sutherland.
Memorial services were held at the Christian Missionary Alliance church in Ronan at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Messages of condolences can be shared with the family at www.lakefuneralhomeandcremation.com. Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.
