"Husband, father, uncle, grandfather, Shakerphile, Savoyard, teacher, wood-worker and auditor par excellence of good music" So ends the memoir of Rodney W. Bond. On December 28, 2010, Rodney died at the age of 91 at Normandie Ridge Nursing Home in York. He was widowed only last month by his wife, Ruth (Kendig) Bond. They would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary on November 26th of this year. Son of the late G. Ross Bond and Minerva (Snyder) Bond, Rodney was born in York on July 22, 1919. His older brother, Adna 'Pete' Bond pre-deceased him, and his younger sister, Anna (Bond) Miller still resides in York. Rodney was a graduate of William Penn Senior High School (Class of 1937) and of Drexel Institute of Technology (Class of 1943). He served with the 84th Infantry Division in the European Theater of World War II including the Battle of the Bulge, and was awarded three Bronze Service Stars as well as the Bronze Star medal with Oak Leaf cluster. He was very proud of being able to share his experiences in the Battle of the Bulge and his family history in the Civil War with local authors and newspaper columnists. Rodney retired in 1982 from Allis-Chalmers Hydro Turbine Division after serving 14 years as Purchasing Manager, and prior to that was employed as the Plant Engineer, beginning with many years service at S. Morgan Smith. A Registered Professional Engineer, he served as a vice president and Board member of the York Area Chamber of Commerce. As a lover of music, he was a member of the York Chorus, and sang with the York Symphony Chorus. He also was a member of York County Heritage Trust, and of the 84th Railsplitter Society. He will be remembered by family and friends as a man of broad interests and diverse talents, including drawing, painting, and writing, as well as composing music and playing the piano and the alto recorder. He composed the music for his high school class song in 1937. He is survived by a daughter, Cheryl Bond Pomerantz, of Storrs, Connecticut; and a daughter-in-law, Mary Lou Bond, of New Freedom. His son, Philip Ross Bond, pre-deceased him in January 2008. He had three grandchildren, Sarah Ross Pomerantz (Mass.), Laura Morgan Bond (Md.), and Jacob Oliver Pomerantz (Conn.). He felt himself 'rich' in the wealth of nieces and nephews he was uncle to. He will be remembered for his kindness, wit, and generosity. A memorial service will take place in the Spring of 2011, at which time the interment of both Rodney and Ruth Bond's remains will take place at Prospect Hill Cemetery, York. In his memory, Rodney asked that friends and family 'do a good deed, hug a loved one, say a prayer, or perform a random act of kindness'.
Published in York Daily Record & York Dispatch on December 31, 2010