John Joseph Bonder

Dear Mel and family,

As we continue to grieve and celebrate the life of John Bonder, an outstanding physical education teacher in Radnor, I want to share a favorite memory with you and your family.

As Radnor´s superintendent of schools, I worked under teachers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, and all employees, not over them. Occasionally I had to break the rules to do the right thing.

John Bonder came to my office one day to tell me he had been invited to referee a Division I NCAA basketball game in Japan. He needed permission to be absent from school for a week, but the School Board/RTEA contract allowed two personal days per year, not the five John needed. An ethical dilemma for me. But there was no way I would prevent John from having the honor of refereeing a basketball game in Japan.

A few days later I called John to come back in. I said, "John, here´s the deal. You will use the one personal day you didn´t use last year, two this year, and borrow two from next year, giving the five days you need." John was overjoyed. Yes, I violated the contract but not the spirit of doing the right thing.

On the first day back from a once-in-a-lifetime experience, John came to my office unannounced and had a package under his arm. It was a Japanese kimono silk robe his way of thanking me from the bottom of his heart.

This is a cherished memory I´ll never forget which says more than words of the character and goodness of John Bonder. It's these attributes that made him an exceptional mentor-teacher who touched the lives of his students and colleagues so profoundly. He is a huge loss to everyone who knew him. I remember his smile, his sense of humor, and his human qualities. He leaves a legacy of love that will live through you and the entire Bonder family. His loss is a great one for the Kingdom of Earth, but a great gain for the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is my prayer, Mel, that the Lord will bless you and your household in the days ahead and that the memories of John will be of great comfort to you.

In friendship, peace, and love,


John C. Crosby

May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

We were so sorry to hear of John´s passing . Our sympathy to Mel. We will miss him
Jan and JB Smink.

John was a wonderful man. I remember him as I was growing up. He will be missed.

In memory of both John and Mel. Mel was in my class at high school and I met John in Villanova before he married Mel. Bless you all!

Joanne and I were lucky enough to meet John during a chance shared tee time together with John and Mel at Plantation Golf Course in Venice Florida several years ago.

I knew that I had met a special man from the moment we began chatting at the driving range. We had no idea that we were playing together but within moments John was chatting and asked me where I was from.

I mentioned I was from Corner Brook, Newfoundland (Canada) and assumed that he would have no idea where this was. Not only did John know where it was but had visited there on a cruise ship where he was employed as a tour director.

Then followed a lengthy story from John about his remembrance of the local people he had interfaced with during his short visit.

I can´t remember if either of us managed to hit any practice shots, but I knew I had met a friend.

From that chance pairing at the course, Joanne and I became good friends with John and Mel.

We golfed and socialized together on many occasions. An evening with John at a restaurant was always fun and entertaining. Watching him interface with the staff and neighboring patrons was magical. He had a way of making every social occasion special.

We were fortunate enough to visit John and Mel in Maine a few years back...John sure loved his "happy place", and his stories became even more animated on the dock in the evenings.

We were better people for having met John.

Condolences to Mel and all his family at this time.

I have so many fond memories of John. My fondest memory with John is sitting on the end of the dock in Maine just talking about life and watching for Loons.

Every time we played golf John and had a to wager on who would have the best score for that day. It was an on going and John bested me more than I bested him. Our wager each time was for a bite sized Snickers bar. He always said to me the Snickers is just a way to keep score.

As we grieve and celebrate the life of John Bonder, an outstanding physical education teacher in Radnor, I want to share a favorite memory with Mel and others. As Radnor´s superintendent of schools, I worked under teachers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, and all employees, not over them. Occasionally I had to break the rules to do the right thing.
John Bonder came to my office one day to tell me he had been invited to referee a Division I NCAA basketball game in Japan. He needed permission to be absent from school for a week, but the School Board/RTEA contract allowed two personal days per year, not the five John needed. An ethical dilemma for me. But there was no way I would prevent him from having the honor of refereeing a basketball game in Japan.
A few days later I called John to come back in. I said, "John, here´s the deal. You will use the one personal day you didn´t use last year, two this year, and borrow two from next year, giving the five days you need." John was overjoyed. Yes, I violated the contract but not the spirit of doing the right thing.
On the first day back from a once-in-a-lifetime experience, John came to my office unannounced and had a package under his arm. It was a Japanese kimono silk robe---his way of thanking me from the bottom of his heart.
This is a cherished memory I´ll never forget which says more than words of the character and goodness of John Bonder. It's these attributes that made him an exceptional mentor-teacher who touched the lives of his students and colleagues so profoundly. He is a huge loss to everyone who knew him. I remember his smile, his sense of humor, and his human qualities. He leaves a legacy of love that will live through the entire Bonder family. His loss is a great one for the Kingdom of Earth, but a great gain for the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is my prayer that the Lord will bless you, Mel, and your entire household in the days ahead and that the memories of John will be of great comfort to you.

We have always been so thankful for our dear friends John and Mel Bonder. Our hearts are broken but our treasured friendship will live forever. Mel, I hope we can be together soon to remember all our wonderful times together. We love you both so much. Thank you Tori for letting us know. You and Lindsay are in our constant prayers. We know your father loved you as much as a father can love his children.
May he rest in peace til we are all together again, Our love, Mike and Beck Ruckman

John warmly welcomed me into the Radnor teaching community. His students at Rowland Elementary School loved him!