Marlene Bonds

Marlene Kriewald Bonds died at her home in Brenham on April 27, 2009. She was born in Robstown, Texas, on June 15, 1935 to Bruno and Alvina Kriewald, who were South Texas cotton farmers. Marlene graduated from Robstown High School in 1954 and entered Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, where she had a distinguished undergraduate academic career. One highlight of her career at Texas Lutheran was her composition of the lyrics for the Texas Lutheran Alma Mater. Many years later she served as president of the Alumni Association. After graduating with honors from Texas Lutheran with a B. S. in Biology in 1957, Marlene took a job as a researcher at the medical school in Galveston. In Galveston, Marlene met and married Billy I. Bonds in 1958. Their first son, Douglas Blaine Bonds, was born in Dickinson in 1958. In 1959, Bill and Marlene moved to Robstown, where Marlene taught Biology at Robstown High School while Bill earned a B. S. in Electrical Engineering at Texas A&I University. In 1960, Bill and Marlene s second son, Lawrence I. Bonds, was born in Robstown. In 1961, Bill and Marlene moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. From Cedar Rapids, Bill and Marlene returned to Texas and lived in Richardson and Dallas in 1962-1964. In 1964, Bill and Marlene moved to Houston, where Marlene substitute taught in the public schools and took classes at the Houston Baptist College and the University of Houston. In Houston, the Bonds family became active members of Advent Lutheran Church. In 1969, Bill and Marlene moved to Baton Rouge Louisiana, where Marlene was a particularly active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Highlights of her membership at St. Paul include service on the church council, and her service as chair of the building committee that oversaw construction of the buildings that still serve St. Paul. While at St. Paul, Marlene helped draft the constitution for joining two large national Lutheran Church bodies, the Lutheran Church in America and the American Lutheran Church, to form the present-day Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In addition, Marlene served for many years on the Division for Mission Board of the Texas Louisiana Synod. In 1976, Marlene entered the Law School of Louisiana State University and received her doctorate of law in 1979 and passed the Louisiana State Bar Exam. From 1979 to1997, Marlene practiced law in Baton Rouge and in the parishes surrounding East Baton Rouge Parish. In 1997, Marlene retired from her law practice and moved to Brenham, Texas, where she played an active role in the lives of her grandchildren. In Brenham, Marlene was an active member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Greenvine and of Ebenezer Lutheran Church. In addition, Marlene served as a HOSTS volunteer in the Brenham public schools, and she often served as a judge for elections at Washington County Precincts. Always active in arts and crafts, Marlene entered and won several needlepoint and counted cross-stitch competitions at the Washington County Fair, taught a few community crafts classes, and built a Victorian doll house with the generous help of the David Hohlt family. Larry and Teresa wish to thank all who made her life more enjoyable and more manageable as her health declined. Marlene was preceded in death by her parents, her brother-in-law Alton Baldy Koenning, her sister and brother-in-law Marion and Walter Grote, and her son Douglas Blaine Bonds. Marlene is survived by her son Lawrence I. Bonds and his wife, Pastor Teresa M. Davis and grandchildren Nicholas Davis Bonds and Kathryn Marie Davis Bonds, of Abilene; sister Anna-Mae Koenning of Banquete, Texas; nieces Saundra Thaxton of Corpus Christi, Karen Koenning of Beeville, and Joanie Owen of Three Rivers, Texas, and their families; nephew Buddy Koenning of Banquete and his family; nephews Walton, Vernon, and Landon Grote and their families, and numerous friends. A memorial service for Marlene Kriewald Bonds will be held Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at Eben-Ezer Lutheran Church of Berlin with Pastor Jim Abbott officiating. Her family suggests that those wishing to memorialize Marlene send memorials in her name to Texas Lutheran University or the charity of one s choice. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 West Main, Brenham. To view the obituary online or to post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.