Have you ever met a man whose smile, quick wit and laughter put you at ease? Someone who could knowingly talk about cars, education, roads, travel, etc.? Someone who never met a stranger? That was Larry Bonner. How do you write an obit for such a man? Well, if you’d asked him, he’d say, “he lived, he died” and leave it at that.

On paper, it will say he was born to Ervin R Bonner and Lillian L Loeske. He graduated from Leigh High School in 1957. He married his high school sweetheart, Patricia F Moeller, at Christ Lutheran Church, Columbus, NE on August 14, 1960. He became a father to Kurt L Bonner in 1964 and Kaye L Eicher in 1969. After skipping a lot of school and barely graduating high school, he became a life-long learner. Having received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Wayne State College, he then received his PhD in philosophy from UNL. He spent his career as a facilitator and organizer who wanted to improve the status quo. He did that as a teacher at Winside and Papillion, Nebraska Dept of Education’s Business Education Consultant, state staff developer for Educational Service Unit, Seward County Superintendent of Schools, and a two-term Seward County Commissioner before retiring in 1998.

If you knew him, you know he was so much more than what is on paper. He lived a life full of love, laughter, and learning, with a little bit of mischief thrown in. He loved all Husker sports, was a car enthusiast, rebuilt multiple cars, former drag racer who loved speed his entire life, former hog farmer, sprint car/dirt track fan, and a huge Elvis Presley fan. He often told the story of when he saw Elvis on television the first time he pointed to the screen and said, “this is what I’ve waited my whole life for!”

Over and over if he saw something that needed to be done, he learned what he could, gathered the tools/people, and made it happen. He started FBLA in Nebraska and was the first state advisor. He was a founding member of the Midland Nomad Club and Chevrolet Nomad Association. While President of Good Shepherd LCMS, he started their preschool. When Milford High School (MHS) built on, he saw the need for an auditorium, so he was instrumental in organizing and raising the funds needed. When Milford built a golf course, he bought adjacent land and built Doc’s Driving Range and later handed it over to the golf course. When he was a county commissioner, he drove the county roads weekly, proactively looking for issues to fix. He was also an integral member of Milford’s Kiwanis, building, managing and helping with many projects to improve the community.

He learned to rebuild engines and cars while drag racing with his brother-in-law in the 60s. In 1969, he bought his beloved 1955 Chevrolet Nomad and rebuilt it several times over the years. He was one of the first to put an LS engine in a Nomad. Fifty summer vacations were enjoyed by driving it to Nomad conventions all over the country. He and Pat traveled to all fifty states, 7 Canadian providences and Mexico either with their Nomad or in their RV. He also added on and remodeled his home, and he enjoyed helping many family and friends remodel their homes over the years. If anyone needed help, he was there with his tools ready to help and many times accepted payment in beer.

His name isn’t in any record book or on any monument, but his behind-the-scenes collaboration and hard work improved lives of his family, friends and people he never met. He will live on through the hard work he did with and for others.

Memorials can be sent to the family for future donation to his beloved Wayne State, or you can donate directly to your own car project in his memory. His body was donated to the Anatomical Board of Nebraska (UNMC). So, instead of a traditional funeral, a celebration of life will be held on August 22 from 2-6pm at the Friedhoff/Oak Room in Columbus, Nebraska.

Left to mourn his loss:
Wife - Pat Bonner
Son - Kurt Bonner
Daughter - Kaye Eicher (John Eisenmenger)
Granddaughter  - Emmalee (Brock) Babcock
Granddaughter - Kaylee Eicher (Roman Salinas)
Grandson - Joshua Nelson
Great grandson’s - James Salinas and Theoden Babcock
Brother - Lyle (Charlotte) Bonner
Brother-in-law - Lee (Rita) Moeller
Four nieces and one nephew

Proceeded in death by:
Parents - Erv and Lil Bonner
Parents-in-law - Elmer and Leona (Cattau) Moeller
Son-in-law - James Eicher