William “Roy” Bonner, Jr.

September 15, 1932 ~ January 16, 2021

William “Roy” Bonner, Jr.      

KJV 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

Age 88, of Denham Springs, Louisiana passed away peacefully on 1/16/21. Roy was born on 9/15/1932 in Wichita Falls, Texas and was adopted shortly after birth by William “Roy” Bonner and Billie Rabe Bonner of Lufkin, Texas.  Roy’s happy childhood was shattered when his father passed away shortly before Roy’s ninth birthday.

In 1944, Roy’s mother married Ben McFarlin, and the family moved to Coushatta, Louisiana to open a restaurant when Roy was 11 years old. Roy graduated from Coushatta High School.

Shortly after, Roy’s life was upended again when Uncle Sam drafted him into the Army on May 29, 1953. He served in an Artillery Unit while on active duty. On May 3, 1955, Roy was released to the Army Reserves to complete eight years of service.

Roy returned home and enrolled at Louisiana Tech University, graduating in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science. He taught Civics at Broadmoor Junior High School in Shreveport, Louisiana for a number of years. He finally was in charge of his life during this time.

Excerpts from an internet post by a former student:

I am looking for my 9th grade civics teacher from Shreveport Louisiana. His name was Roy Bonner and was a teacher back in the 1960s at Broadmoor Jr. High. He would be about 65-75 years old now. This Roy Bonner may have left teaching to work in business. As I recall he drove a Corvette Stingray (which greatly impressed us boys). He also worked out a lot and was very strong. Roy Bonner was a major influence in my life. I have just recently gotten an appointment to the University of Oregon. I just wanted to find him and let him know. I was a terrible student in middle school and he was always so encouraging to me. Any help would be appreciated.

In 1961, Roy’s adoptive mother, Billie, died. He tried to find out about his birth parents from the adoption agency. They turned him away and would not share any identifying information about his parents. As it turns out, by not sharing this information, it was detrimental to all those living at the time including his birth mother.

Sometime in the early 1970s, he moved to the Baton Rouge area, and eventually gained employment with The Robinsons Brothers dealership. He stayed with the company for many years and became a permanent fixture through his 86^th year.  A very joyful time in Roy’s life was when he finally learned he had a birth sister. He was so pleased to be united with her in January 2014.  When Roy and Peggy met, it was as if they had always known each other.

Roy is survived by his son, Philip, and wife, Donna Bonner, of Round Rock, Texas; grandson, Stewart, and wife, Ann Bonner, of Mansfield, Texas; granddaughter, Elizabeth, and husband, Matt DeVille, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; great-grandchildren Brooks, Sutton, Shaw Bonner, Drew and Jake DeVille; his sister and her husband, Peggy and Jerry Petty of Nocona, Texas; his beloved cats, Bonnie and Clyde; his good friends, Sue Guidry White, Wanda Roberts, Frank Messina, Jr., and Candace Pack.  He also is survived by his search angels and dear friends, Diane Hardy, Denise Johnson, and Crystal Williams, who helped set the dynamite that blew his sealed adoption case wide open.

He was predeceased by his adoptive father, William “Roy” Bonner, Sr., adoptive mother, Billie Rabe Bonner McFarlin, step-father, Ben McFarlin, and birth mother, Ora Inez Peeler McKinney.

Roy finally retired in 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed being at home with Bonnie and Clyde, two of the many stray cats he rescued through the years.

Roy recently said, “Even with all of my mistakes, it’s been a good ride.” According to his wishes, Roy will be cremated with his ashes to be interred at the family plot in Lufkin. A Celebration of Life get together will be held in the near future.  For those wishing to honor Roy, donations may be made to the Denham Springs Animal Shelter (the only no-kill shelter in Louisiana), Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue or a charity of your choice.

The family wishes to express our gratitude to Wanda Roberts for being a good friend to Roy during this past year. In addition, we would like to thank all of the members of the team at Harvest Manor Healthcare & Rehab Center as well as Life Source Hospice for the care and compassion provided to Roy during these last several months.

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