Henry Ellis Bonds

HENRY BONDS Henry Ellis Bonds, Sr., 82, resident of 206 Gatewood Drive, husband of Freida Shaw Bonds, died August 2, 2010 at Hospice House. Born in Greenwood April 28, 1928, he was a son of the late Floyd B. and Stopha Smith Bonds. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and was a US Army Veteran of the Korean War. Mr. Bonds was co-owner and president of Greenwood Mop & Broom, Inc. The business was founded by his father, Floyd Bonds in 1924. He was very active in Boy Scouts for over 70 years. At age 17 he was Assistant Scout Master of Troop #54 and later served as chairman of the Long Cane District of the Blue Ridge Council. He was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, the Order of the Arrow and the District Award of Merit and was a lifetime member of the Scouting Heritage Society as a result of his outstanding leadership of Troop #54 He was also a leadership member of the Coastal Empire Council of Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Bonds was the benefactor for the Camp Directors Lodge and Chapel at Camp Old Indian, a scout camp located near Travelers Rest. He was also benefactor of the first facility for the non-ambulatory in the state of South Carolina. Mr. Bonds was a member and past chairman of the Burton Center Board of Directors and the Burton Center Foundation. He also served on the Faith Home Board, the Edgewood Cemetery Board and was a Life Member of the Vocational Rehabilitation Board. He was also an avid supporter of Hospice Care of the Piedmont. A member of St. Mark United Methodist Church, Mr. Bonds was a former member of Lowell Street United Methodist Church where he served on the church board and as building chairman of the Educational Building. He was also a member of Greenwood Masonic Lodge #91 A.F.M. and was a Life Member of the Hejaz Shrine Temple and Shriner's International. Surviving in addition to his wife of the home are a daughter, Jean B. Nelson and a sister, Frances B. Dobbins; three grandsons, Henry E. "Tripp" Bonds, III, Benjamin Andrew Nelson and Eric Matthew Nelson, all of Greenwood. He was predeceased a son, Henry Ellis "Chip" Bonds, Jr., a grandson, William Christopher Nelson and a sister, Annie B. Timms. Funeral services with military honors will be conducted at 2:00 PM Wednesday at St. Mark United Methodist Church with Rev. Barrett Alewine officiating. Private family burial will follow in Oakbrook Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Sidney Johnston, Craig Glanton, Bernard Laymon, Jasper Turner, Dallas Cone, Dr. James Smith, Dr. Phil Baker, Rayford Dukes, Rhett Baker, Brian Benjamin and Russell Lawrence. The body is at Blyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 12:30 PM Wednesday. The family is at the home in Gatewood and will receive friends in the church Social Hall from 12:30 to 2:00 PM Wednesday. The family request that flowers be omitted and memorials made to the Burton Center Foundation, PO Box 3004, Greenwood, SC 29648; St. Mark United Methodist Church, 550 Bypass 72 West, Greenwood, SC 29649; Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646 or to the Blue Ridge Council of Boy Scouts of America, 1 Park Plaza, Greenville, SC 29607.