from Barton Landsman
Thurman Bond
Thurman Bond, 90, who lived in Doe Bay for 67 years, died on Friday August 30, 2013. Thurman was born in King City, CA on November 28, 1922, to Wellington and Eva Bond. He grew up in Garberville, CA with his older sister Lillian and two younger brothers Joseph and Richard. The forest and a nearby river were their playground and Thurman helped put food on the table by fishing and hunting. Thurman enjoyed a special connection with nature throughout his life.
During WWII, Thurman was in the South Pacific serving in the Navy and his parents found work as caretakers for a farm on Orcas Island. After the war, Thurman and his brothers joined their parents on Orcas, and settled on a farm in Doe Bay and raised sheep, cattle and chickens. Working outside the farm, Thurman cleared power lines for OPALCO, helped build the KVOS tower at the top of Mt. Constitution, and was employed at a limestone quarry on Orcas for twenty years.
In 1949, the Bonds purchased a saw and planer mill and the Bond Lumber Company was established. Thurman joined Joe fulltime at the mill in the 1960s and they supplied lumber to builders throughout Orcas and beyond. Thurman was a talented mechanic who kept the vehicles and equipment running in resourceful ways and took pride in getting the most lumber from a log. The slab wood from the mill was sold for firewood and Thurman enjoyed connecting with people on the deliveries; one’s placement on the wood list was very important.
Thurman connected with friends of all ages, but loved children and old-timers the most. Although he never started a family of his own, Thurman served as a role model and mentor to generations of island youth. Thurman fostered the sense of community in Doe Bay and helped create the Doe Bay Fire Hall and Community Center. Although Thurman was cantankerous at times, he was also known for his generosity and no one would question his integrity.
Thurman hosted a coffee social every Sunday afternoon; a tradition started by his mother. Thurman, with the help of Betty (Crocker), would bake a batch of cookies, put the coffee on to perk, and play solitaire while waiting for friends, both old and new, to arrive. Thurman looked forward to this event each week and kept a careful mental tally of guests. While Thurman wasn’t drawn to organized religion, he was religious about opening his home to the community and thought Doe Bay was “heaven on earth.” He was one of a kind and will be remembered as a rare treasure on Orcas Island.
The graveside service originally planned for Saturday, September 7 is postponed. Please come celebrate Thurman’s life at the coffee social and dessert potluck on Sunday, September 8 from 2:00p to 4:00p at the Bond Family Home, at 314 Bond Mill Road, Doe Bay. Your presence is highly encouraged so that Thurman can set a new record for attendance. Please spread the news and bring a story to share, a song to sing, a poem to recite or just an appetite for some of Thurman’s famous peanut butter cookies. All are welcome.
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What an amazing guy, and Orcas legend. I am so sorry to hear this. He was so sweet with my kids…
Thurman will be missed by so many. I had the gif of being his next door neighbor for over 40 years. I have hundreds of stories of his kindness and generosity. Here is one story that I want to share that is so typical of the person that Thurman was.
One winter during an ice storm my wife and I were both ill. I had a high fever and pneuminia. Thurman called to see how I was feeling and if I needed anything. I told him we were still alive but our water was out and I wish I could have a hot shower. We spoke for a while longer and he said he would check on us again later.
Later that day, at the height of the storm, my wife says there is a bulldozer down at the end of the driveway. I recognized it, got dressed and walked down to see what was happening.
Thurman, in his 80s, had pushed my driveway aside with his bulldozer and was in the ditch with a shovel digging up the broken pipe. He fixed my broken pipe in the middle of an ice storm. I never would have asked, he never offered, he just did it. That was the kind of man he was and we will miss him.
Thurman was so incredibly special to all of us. His was a gentle spirit and I’m so happy that he will always be with me.
I met Thurman and Joe when they first arrived on Orcas 67 years ago, the summer of 1946. Known as the ‘Bond Boys’ they worked together as a team, tending and shearing their sheep, and running their two-man sawmill.
They were ‘givers’ to the Doe Bay community quickly helping us when problems arose. During the latter 40’s and through the 50’s, when I was working in Seattle and couldn’t help Mom and Dad, they continually came down, mowed the lawn, split wood, recharged the car battery, and with a shovel, hand-mixed concrete in a wheelbarrow.
God bless them. And now we will miss you, Thurman.
The Bond Boys personified the phrase “salt of the earth” for me. To know them was a highlight of my time on Orcas. Thurman’s kindness, humor and love of the island and his community will live on. This weekend I will be baking a batch of peanut butter cookies and raising a cup of coffee in tribute.
Thurman was the part of the best of Orcas, and represented Islanders with grace and welcome. I loved his socials and was lucky to be included there. I’m trying to figure out how I could get people around a table in my house like Thurman did. So far, can’t find the room, but Thurman’s social is the model I’m aiming for! Thank you Susan Mustard for sharing THIS special friend. Thurman Bond forever!
Sally Wood Winslow