Ralph S. Bonner, Jr., 93 of Derry, NH died Sunday September 11, 2011 in the Rockingham County Nursing Home, Brentwood, NH. Mr. Bonner was born in Boston, MA on October 26, 1917, the son of the late Ralph S. Bonner, Sr. and Elin J. (Dahl) Bonner. He was a 1936 graduate of Somerville High School and later from the Wentworth Institute in Boston in 1938. Mr. Bonner moved to Derry in 1950 and was employed as a printer for the Lawrence Eagle Tribune retiring in 1985. He was as a member of the Allied Printing Trades Council of Greater Lawrence.
Mr. Bonner was a member of St. Mark’s Masonic Lodge #44 F & AM in Derry, and the Bell Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons #25. He was active in St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Derry as a trustee, usher and with the Sunday school program. He was a member of the Derry Historical Society, the Derry Heritage Commission, the Greater Derry Arts Council, and the Nutfield Chapter of the AARP. Mr. Bonner served on the Building Committee for Nutfield Heights and in 1981 was named Derry’s Citizen of the Year. He was also honored by the Molly Reid Chapter of the D.A.R. in 1994 and was the Past Chairman of the Fylgia Lodge Vasa Order of America.
He is survived by his two sons, Richard Bonner and his wife Lynda of Derry, and Paul Bonner and his wife Jeanine of Londonderry, one daughter, Karen Donoghue and her husband William of Manchester, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, also several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his wife, Phyllis C. Bonner in 1999.
Calling hours were held on Wednesday September 14, 2011 from 4 – 7pm in Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry with cremation to follow. A memorial service was held on Thursday at 10:00am in St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 63 E. Broadway, Derry. Burial was on Friday in Forest Hill Cemetery, E. Derry. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Disease Research C/O Development Office, Dartmouth Hitchcock Med. Center, One Medical Center Dr., Lebanon, NH 03756.