Son of Abel Bonifield and Quintella Upton.
Married Emma L. McClure on 28 Oct 1891.
***
Bluffton, Indiana News Banner

Thursday, November 09, 1944 – P1C7

Dr. W. D. Bonifield Dies At Warren

Dr. W. D. Bonifield, 82, a prominent physician in Warren the past 56 years, died at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at his home in Warren, following an illness of two months of complications.

Born June 12, 1862, he was a son of Able and Quinetta Upton Bonifield. He was united in marriage in Warren Oct. 28, 1891 to Emma L. McClure, who preceded him in death Mar. 6. 1944. Dr. Bonifield was graduated in 1888 from the Ohio Medical School in Cincinnati and immediately located in Warren to practice medicine.

Surviving are three sons, W. Harry Bonifield, Dr. H. M. Bonifield and Dr. H. F. Bonifield, all of Warren; a daughter, Mrs. Merritt Tam, of Warren, and a sister, Mrs. William Lemunyon, of Hillsdale, Mich.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Methodist church, of which Dr. Bonifield was a member, in charge of Rev. L. M. Hile, and Rev. E. L. Jones will assist. Burial will be in the Woodlawn cemetery.
***
Notes by Daughter Helen (Bonifield) Tam
William was born on a farm in Mercer County, Ohio. He was a very good student in (county) school [possibly the Deer Pond School]. He went to teacher college at Ada, Ohio and then taught school to get enough money to go to medical school. He graduated from Cincinnati Medical School in 1888. Part of his medical schooling included "Reading & Riding" with Dr. Tangle from Neptune, Ohio. This meant "Reading" in the doctors office, and "Riding" with the doctor to visit patients. He was very interested in very fine horses and owned his own race horses. He raised, trained, and sold buggy horses too. He loved checkers, carrom, and rook. He smoked cigars, and never took them in the house [he would sit them on the window sill by the door before going in, and retrieve them when leaving the house]; I never knew why. He was an avid basketball fan. He never smoked a cigar at the games, but rather just rolled them around in this mouth. He loved to sit on a chair tilted back. The only time I heard him swear is when he was mad at at a baulky horse. He died of an aneurism which was also the cause for his leg to be amputated just above the knee in September of 1944. He enjoyed reading. He was very quiet, and never said much. Part of his life he had a mustache.
***