BOND, Cliff

Baker City, 1924-2012 Cliff Bond, 88, a lifetime Baker City resident, died Sept. 28, 2012, at St. Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church, 1995 Fourth Street. Pastor Katy Halliburton will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family afterward for a reception in the Presbyterian Church’s Rogers Fellowship Hall. There will be a graveside service at 2 p.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Cliff was born on Feb. 6, 1924, at 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 was a Baker High School graduate. After 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. After 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 more than 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 or 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, Donn 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. Survivors include his three children, Carl Bond and his wife, Linda, of La Grande, Jean Fromwiller and her husband, Tim, of La Grande, and Ross Bond and his wife, Kay, of Baker City; his son-in-law, Dale Satterburg, of Portland; 12 grandchildren, Clayton Bond and his wife, Amy, Carrie Spencer and her husband, Craig, Travis Fromwiller and his wife, Loui, Glen Fromwiller and his wife, Venus, Amber Fromwiller and her husband, Emmitt, Cathy Giesa and her husband, Aaron, Jenny Satterburg, Stephen Satterburg, Jeff Bond and his wife, Kara, Kristi Christensen and her husband, Kris, Casey Bond and his wife, Sarah, and Bobby Bond and his wife, Christa; 17 great-grandchildren; and 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 to a charity of one’s choice through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814. Baker City Herald 3 Oct 2012