Joyce Bonde

Joyce Augusta (Haring) Bonde joined her Lord and Savior in her heavenly home peacefully on March 5th, aged 94, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Clarence Wesley and Clara Lucetia (Monie) Haring gave birth to Joyce on November 22nd, 1930 on a farm near Riverton, Nebraska.

Joyce attended District 48 through 8th grade, placing fifth on the county standardized achievement test; graduated salutatorian from Franklin High School in 1948; attended Normal School that summer in Kearney; and began her 42 year teaching career that fall at age 17. Joyce pioneered phonics and phonemic instruction while teaching elementary in her early years in the country schools in Custer County and at Oconto Public Schools in Nebraska. Summers, she attended Kearney Teacher’s College, worked in the college library to pay for it and finished two degrees in 1958, her secondary teaching degree in English and Business. She transitioned to teaching High School Office Practice, Journalism helping students write the High School newspaper and yearbook and anything else her superintendent asked of her. Even in secondary school, she assessed each student’s phonemic awareness and championed their literacy, academic performance and life goals. Oconto’s High School closed in 1978. Joyce later finished her career teaching General Math and Short-Hand at McCool Junction Public Schools in McCool Junction, Nebraska.

 Highly competitive, Joyce enjoyed playing every game imaginable from Chess and “Pick up Sticks,” to Bridge. One of her fondest childhood memories was the moment she beat her eldest brother, Wesley, at Checkers. She attended finishing school in Wichita, Kansas. Living in Arkansas over 25 years, she loved: reading; history; traveling, camping everywhere from the Everglades to the Grand Canyon; gatherings, especially those to watch Nebraska Huskers play, tickled by her family’s antics; blessing people with food; preparing everyone’s favorite dish at holiday meals; and listening to “Rush Limbaugh.” Every day, one could hear Rush speaking loud and clear all about the house. One knew not to bother her until after 3:00pm. Favorite quips/quotes included: 1) “Learn from those who are better than you;” 2) ‘Read “meat!”—biographies and books that build you up, not tear you down;’ 3) Winston Churchill’s words, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it;” and Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”.

 She met and married Norman Lee Bonde on September 29th, 1967. One heart, one soul, they lived a life of Love and Grace. She kept telling her family (adding a year for each year they had been married), “Fifty-seven years, I have lived in heaven!”

 Even on her death bed, Joyce mustered enough strength to remind her grand-daughters to “find a handsome man” like their grandfather. “What about God-fearing?” They’d ask. “That to,” she said and winked, with a spark in her eye.

 Together, Joyce and Norman kept roads hot passionately fighting for literacy, education and the developmental needs of children across the state of Nebraska and raised their five children: Cindy, Nathan, Cornell, Haili and Micah. Joyce cherished her Faith and her Family; endeavored to instill within them a Love for God, all that God created and for the Bible; helped them pursue their dreams and achieve their God given potential, in any way she could.

 Joyce is survived by: husband, Norman Bonde; siblings Charleen Frerichs and Dallas; sister-in-laws Jolean (Dallmann) Haring and Adele (Newquist) Bonde; children, Cindy and Tom Johnson; Nathan and Tonya (Courtney) Bonde; Dr. Cornell and Lisa (Nesladek) Bonde; Adam and Dr. Haili Kreifels; Dr. Ryan and Micah (Bonde) Roth; grandchildren Poppy Johnson; Wade and Ashley Johnson; Chase and Ginger Johnson; Vanessa (Bonde) and Alan Hyde; Jonathan and April Bonde; James, Thomas and Joshua Bonde; Zoe, Raima, Isaiah and Hannah Kreifels, Annaliese and Cameron Roth; and great-grandchildren Olivia, Elle, Herbert and Theo Johnson; Caden, Callie and Luke Hyde; Jason, Nolan and Gavin Bonde; and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by parents Clarence and Clara (Monie) Haring, brother Wesley Haring; sister Melberta Lambert; sister-in-law Jonnie (Barton) Haring; brother-in-laws Dwayne Lambert and Kenneth Frerichs; nephew Charles Haring and grandson Caleb Bonde. 

Graveside services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 24th at Franklin Cemetery just outside Franklin, Nebraska. Inurnment will follow. Joyce wished to be cremated: there will be no viewing. Lunch will follow with the family greeting friends at the Franklin Evangelical Free Church. In lieu of flowers, cards may directed to Norman Bonde at PO Box 4173, Hot Springs, AR 71914. Memorials may be directed to the “Caleb Bonde Foundation” at 70 W Church of Christ, Hot Springs, Arkansas.