Christopher Noonan Bonds

Christopher (Chris) Noonan Bonds, 81, died on January 12, 2024, at his home in Henderson, Nevada.

Chris was born on September 5, 1942, in Florence, Arizona, to Wilmon and Ida Elaine Bonds. The family lived in Phoenix and mainly in Coolidge, where he graduated from high school in 1960. He attended Arizona State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree (applied music and theory) in 1964 and a Master of Music degree (composition) in 1965. He continued his studies at the University of Iowa, where he earned a Ph.D. in composition in 1969.

Chris began his violin studies at age five. His principal teachers included George Bennett, Albert Shepherd, Romulo Ribera, Eugene Lombardi, and Elfreda Gleam. He performed in several symphony orchestras over five decades, including the Phoenix Symphony, the Waukesha Symphony (Wisconsin), the Muncie Symphony (Indiana), the Walla Walla Symphony (Washington), the Sioux City Symphony (Iowa), where he was concertmaster for over 21 years, and the Henderson Symphony (Nevada). During his career, Chris performed much of the standard orchestra repertoire, which frequently included his violin solos. He also loved bluegrass music, and when in Walla Walla, he played with the Rye Grass String Band, a well-known group in the area. Even after he quit performing or teaching, Chris continued to practice diligently until weeks before his death.

Chris's passion for music included a wide range of styles from classical, rock 'n' roll, bluegrass, and folk, to jazz improvisation. He played piano, violin, viola, electric violin, guitar, and mandolin. Returning from a trip to China in 1988, he attempted to learn to play the erhu (2-stringed, vertical fiddle), setting it aside only after his wife Debi offered to pay him to stop.

Specializing in college-level instruction, Chris taught at Elmira College (New York), Carroll College (Wisconsin), Ball State University (Indiana), and Whitman College (Washington). He taught at Wayne State College, in Wayne, Nebraska, from August 1982, where he served as Music Department Chair from 2004-2007, until he retired as professor emeritus in June 2009. His classes included introduction to music, American culture, strings, conducting, music technology, orchestra, music theory, and instrumentation. In 1994, he wrote The Musical Impulse, a college textbook for non-music majors, published by Kendall/Hunt. Chris and Debi developed and co-taught a critical thinking class at Wayne State College their final year in Nebraska, 2008-2009.

Chris was a frequent clinician for music educator conventions in Nebraska and Iowa, and adjudicator for numerous music contests and competitions. In the 1970s, he served as summer theater musical director in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, for performances that included "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Dames at Sea." Chris, his daughter Erin Lowis, and son-in-law Bernie Lowis, gave several programs in Nebraska and Iowa, most recently in Waterloo, Nebraska, in September 2023. Erin also performed with her dad at Wayne State College.

Chris loved teaching individual string students (on violin, viola, cello, and guitar). His commitment to improve his own technique benefitted hundreds of students during his half century of instruction.

After retiring and moving to Nevada, Chris worked with FAYM (the Foundation to Assist Young Musicians) in Las Vegas for ten years, coaching students and ensembles, and serving on the board of directors.

Chris married Phyllis Freeman in 1963. On August 1, 1982, he married Debi Miller Agenbroad in Walla Walla, Washington, before moving to Wayne, Nebraska.

Chris nurtured a lifelong curiosity to better understand science and the world by reading and researching. Days before his death, Chris began studying Homer's The Iliad, wanting to learn the characters' names. He was passionate about hiking, cooking, drawing, thinking, writing (he had begun writing a memoir about his education and musical experiences), and composing (he arranged a variety of pieces for string and other ensembles for the music of Bach and beyond). In 2015, Chris arranged "Simple Gifts: Theme and Variations for String Quartet," a Shaker hymn attributed to Joseph Brackett. Each instrument is featured as a solo voice in the lyrical and technically challenging variations. During the final year of his life, Chris devoted endless hours to editing and formatting Chasing Shadows: Reconstructing a Family Through Letters, a memoir by Debi Miller Bonds and Webb Colby Miller, his wife and brother-in-law.

Chris is survived by his wife Debi; a sister, Vicki James of Casa Grande, Arizona; daughters Vangie Peaslee of Seattle, Washington, and Erin Lowis of Omaha, Nebraska; a stepdaughter, Brenda Barranco of Las Vegas, Nevada; a stepson, Scott Agenbroad of Omaha, Nebraska; seven grandchildren; numerous dear friends, colleagues and Facebook followers; and countless persons whose lives have been enhanced by knowing and interacting with Chris as he shared his wide expertise in music, literature and science, as well as his generous spirit and wry sense of humor.

Planning has started for three celebrations of life-in Omaha, Nebraska, on the Oregon beach, and in Walla Walla, Washington, where he will be buried.

Chris's family wishes to thank ProCare Hospice of Nevada for the comprehensive care their team provided for Chris and the generous support they provided for Chris and his family during his final month of life.