Memorials › Oliver Alexander "Oliver Junior" Bonner Jr
Oliver Alexander "Oliver Junior" Bonner Jr
6 Sep 1921 – 15 Feb 1987
| Birth | 6 Sep 1921 |
| Death | 15 Feb 1987 |
| Cemetery | Bonner Cemetery Fairfield , Freestone County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | Michael Edd Bonner on 07 Feb 2013 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16866819 |
Bio
Oliver Alexander Bonner, Jr., son of Oliver Alexander Bonner and Lulabel McAdama, was born in Bonnerville on September 6, 1921. While he was sometimes called "Junie," most people referred to him as Oliver Junior. Oliver Junior was always known for his intelligence. Kerry remembers him as "a loving, generous father and human being, quick to offer his assistance to anyone in need….He was very seldom late for any appointment and seldom missed a day of work." After graduation from Fairfield High School, he attended and graduated from both Westminster College, Tehuacana, Texas and Texas A & M University. During World War II he served as a bombardier in the United States Army Air Corps and received the Air Medal as a member of the Eighth Air Force Bomber Squadron, England. After being shot down over Germany in September 1944, he was held prisoner in Stalag Luft I until the war's end. Kerry related, "Oliver Junior's B-17 bomber was shot out of the sky over Germany in September 1944. He parachuted to save his life and landed in a tree, dangling 10 – 30 feet above the ground. Unable to climb down safely, he began cutting the parachute cords suspending him with his knife. After cutting the last cord, he fell to the ground, cracking several teeth. As a POW, a German dentist attended to his injuries but additional dental work followed upon his return. During winter ‘44-'45 in prison camp, he suffered frost bite." On July 25, 1948, he married Norma D. Mayo, daughter of Norman Mayo and Jewel Marie York, of Fairfield, Texas. They had one child, Kerry Glenn. As a chemist with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, he lived in Houston for many years. Oliver Junior and Norma were divorced. On April 6, 1974 he married Mrs. Anna Geneva Henderson Collier in Navarro County, Texas. Oliver Junior died from cancer on February 15, 1987 in Corsicana and is buried in the Bonner Cemetery. Probably from the "Fairfield Recorder" Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Bonner were notified Tuesday that their son, Oliver Bonner, pilot of a Flying Fortress had been missing over Germany since Sept. 12. Lieut. Bonner graduated from Fairfield High School, Westminster College and A & M College. Corsicana Daily Sun Monday February 16, 1987 Oliver A. Bonner, Jr. Oliver A. Bonner, Jr., 65, of Emhouse, died Sunday at his home. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Griffin-Roughton Funeral Home with Dr. David Hale officiating. Burial will be in Bonner Cemetery. A chemist for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Houston for 30 years, Bonner was a World War II veteran and former prisoner of war in Germany. Survivors include his wife, Geneva Bonner of Emhouse; a son, Kerry Bonner of Houston; four stepchildren, Judy Nelson of Emhouse, Glenda Libal of San Antonio, John F. Henderson and Betty Spencer, both of Corsicana; a brother Roy F. [sic] Bonner of Houma, La; 18 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Cousins will serve as pallbearers.
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