BOND, Cliff

Cliff Bond, 88, a lifetime resident of Baker City, died Sept. 28, 2012 at the Baker St. Alphonsus Medical Center. His funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at the First Presbyterian Church, 1995 4th Street. Pastor Katy Halliburton will officiate. Friends are welcome to join the family following the service for a reception in the Presbyterian Church’s Rogers Fellowship Hall and for a graveside service at 2 p.m. at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Cliff was born Feb. 6, 1924, in Baker City to Herbert and Clara Bond. He was the younger of two siblings. Cliff was a very hands-on individual, building his first go-cart at age 12. He attended and graduated from Baker Senior High School. Following High School he joined the military and served in World War II. He was stationed in England where he spent four years at various bases and served as a top turret gunner in a B26 Marauder. While stationed in England he met his bride to be, Elizabeth “Betty” Ellis. They were married in Middlezoy, England on Oct. 2, 1944. Following the war, Cliff and Betty returned to Baker where they raised their four children. Cliff was an electrician and a successful businessman. He owned and operated Baker Electric for over 40 years. After returning to the States, Cliff’s hobbies included designing, building and racing hydroplane boats. Cliff did not settle for off-the-shelf and was very creative in his boat designs. He invented a new design which he named the “cab over.” Cliff’s design was eventually adopted as the standard for the racing industry. After 12-13 years, Cliff retired from boat racing and bought some property on the Brownlee Reservoir where he built a family cabin. Cliff wasn’t satisfied sunbathing on the dock, so he spent his time building an inboard ski boat, water ski jump, and a landing strip. Around 1966, Cliff began building airplanes. His first airplane was a French Aerobatic Beryl. One of the challenges was converting the French plane construction plans to English. Once again, Cliff, not being happy with the plans, changed a 125 hp engine to a 200 hp, making a very high performance airplane. After going through a series of airplanes, he landed on the Super Ultra Decathlon. Pairing up with his flying buddy, Don Mires, they launched “the Decathlons” and performed at various air shows across the west coast. His love of flying never ceased. He and Betty built a house with a hanger on the lower floor and a runway 20 feet away. Cliff continued to fly until a few years before his death. Cliff also found time throughout his life to spend time with family. He built go-carts, tree houses, playhouses, peddle airplanes and many other unique things for his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed attending his children and grandchildren’s sporting events. He also enjoyed hikes to “buck knob,” deer hunting, fun times at Elk camp, crappie fishing contests off the rock point, and his dogs and cats. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; daughter, Sandy Satterburg; and his sister, Irene Crane. He is survived by his three children, son Carl Bond and wife Linda, La Grande; daughter Jean Fromwiller and husband Tim, La Grande; and son Ross Bond and wife Kay, Baker City; his son-in-law Dale Satterburg, Portland; 12 grandchildren Clayton Bond and wife Amy, Carrie Spencer and husband Craig, Travis Fromwiller and wife Loui, Glen Fromwiller and wife Venus, Amber Fromwiller and husband Emmitt, Cathy Giesa and husband Aaron, Jenny Satterburg, Stephen Satterburg, Jeff Bond and wife Kara, Kristi Christensen and husband Kris, Casey Bond and wife Sarah, and Bobby Bond and wife Christa; and 17 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his special companion of the past five years, Jean Hall and her daughter Beth Pointdexter and her husband Dan. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or your choice of charity through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel 1500 Dewey Avenue, Baker City, OR 97814. The Record-Courier 4 October 2012