Raymond Bonser

Raymond O. Bonser, 92, of Mt. Pleasant, IA, passed away Friday, June 9, 2006, at the Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant. Visitation for Mr. Bonser, will begin after 12 noon on Monday, June 12, 2006, at the Olson~Powell Memorial Chapel in Mt. Pleasant, IA, where the family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. that evening. Funeral services for Mr. Bonser will be held on Tuesday, at 10:00 a.m., at the Olson~Powell Memorial Chapel with Pastor Jerry Van Hooser officiating. Burial will be in Forest Home Cemetery. Memorials have been established to the American Heart Association. Ray was born on March 22, 1914, to Howard L. and Lavina S. Weigert Bonser, on the family farm east of Lowell, IA, where he lived for the first six years of his life. His family then moved to New London for ten years and then to Mt. Pleasant where he has lived ever since. On January 2, 1934, Ray married Hazel L. Cochenour in Kahoka, MO. She preceded him in death on January 28, 1970. Early in his life, Ray worked for the Hoaglins on their farms and in the Hoaglin Department Store in Mt. Pleasant. After spending time in the Army during World War II, in the Philippines, Ray bought the Mt. Pleasant Cabins. He soon started rebuilding the cabins and turned them into a new "Starlite Motel" which is still operating. After owning the motel for more than ten years, Ray sold it and started building new homes in Mt. Pleasant. In 1963, Ray built a new home for his family and eleven apartments at 605 W. Clay Street, which he still owns. After Ray's wife died in 1970, he went to a trade school to become a millwright. He then went to work in the union and was involved in setting up equipment for many of the factories that came to Southeast Iowa. A man of many talents, Ray rebuilt a 1928 Nash car. He built furniture, including roll top desks, grandfather clocks, and a rocking chair in the Maloof style. Ray also built many other pieces that he gave to his children and grandchildren. He was a member of the Southeast Iowa Antique Car Club and was a member of the American Legion for 60 years. Ray was a man of few words, but if he said something, you knew it was correct. Ray will be missed dearly by his family and friends. Men like him are few and far between. Mr. Bonser is survived by three sons, Raymond O. Bonser and his wife Patricia of Alta Loma, CA, Jerry D. Bonser and his wife Sharon of Agency, IA, and Rick L. Bonser and his wife Valerie of Mt. Pleasant, IA; one brother, Wayne E. Bonser and his wife Charlien of Oceanside, CA; seven grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a special friend, Evelyn Gregory of Hannibal, MO. Along with his wife, Hazel, Mr. Bonser was preceded in death by three brothers, Melvin, Elvin, and Virgil Bonser; one sister, Marian Watson, and a great-grandson, Mathew Warren.