ROBERT BONNER

Robert Merrill Bonner 1923 - 2012 On Sunday, May 27th 2012, Bob passed away peacefully with his family surrounding him. Bob was born in Berkeley, grew up in Oakland, and after graduation from Oakland High in 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Following flight training, he received his wings and was assigned to the 15th Air Force serving in Italy. At the end of World War II in June of 1945, he returned to the Bay Area to enroll at U.C. Berkeley where his interest in chemistry inspired him to continue his studies until he finished graduate school in 1951 with a doctorate in organic chemistry. A career with the duPont Company kept him in Wilmington, Delaware until he retired in 1982 and returned to Berkeley with his wife Frances. Bob's friends and business associates remember him as a gentle gentleman, well loved and much respected. Bob's love of gardening kept him active as did world travels with Frances, backpacking and walking together in the high Sierra. Their mutual love of classical music, reading, cooking, and Bob's love of golf kept him active until the end of his life. His is survived by Frances, his wife of nearly 65 years, and his three daughters: Susan Bonner Trahan (Edward) of Newark, Delaware; Marianne Bonner (Norman Meites) of Walnut Creek; and Caroline Bonner-Clifton (Michael) of Arizona and Washington State and three adult grandchildren. A private service will be followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.