Jerry Ray Bonner, 86
Jerry Ray Bonner, 86
Jerry Ray Bonner, 86, passed away Monday, March 17, 2025 at Mountain View of Cascadia in Eureka to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with his grandsons, Gage Pluid and Jay Hoover.
Jerry was born Dec. 24, 1938, in Whitefish. He grew up with his brother Mike and parents Ted and Helen Bonner overlooking Whitefish Lake. He spent his teen years hunting, fishing and working for the railroad, graduating from Whitefish High School in 1956 at 17 after playing four years of basketball for the Bulldogs.
He joined the Air Force in November 1956, without his parents' knowledge, and completed a six month course in the Russian language at Syracuse University before being stationed in Turkey doing reconnaissance missions. While in Turkey he met a Turkish fellow selling a baby bear, so he and a friend bought the bear and raised it until it got older. Jerry was honorably discharged September 1960 and decided to go to pharmacy school in Missoula, graduating with a bachelor's degree in pharmacy in June 1965.
He met Billie Herbold in 1961 at the Blue Moon in Columbia Falls, getting engaged in April 1964 and married in September 1964 in Kalispell to which Barbie, Susie and Steve were born. They moved to Eureka in 1966 to work for Ken Vincent at Eureka Drug on Main Street with Jerry buying the business in June 1976 until his retirement in June 2002. He joined the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department in May 1972, an organization he belonged to and loved being a part of for 44 years, retiring in August 2016. As soon as the fire siren went off you would soon see him leaving the drugstore and running down Main Street to the fire hall to fight a fire or help with an accident.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Billie, of 60 years, and children Barbie (Butch) Gwynn, Susie (Josh) Benford, Steve (Andrea) Bonner and grandchildren Paige Pluid-Pisk, Ryan Pluid, Eva, Owen, Jack and River Bonner. He was preceded in death by grandsons Gage Pluid and Jay Hoover.
The family would like to thank Dr. Stein and the amazing staff at Mountain View of Cascadia for the excellent care of Jerry the last four years.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Eureka Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 623, Eureka, MT 59917.
A private family graveside service will be held at a later date.