Raymond S. Bonilla
Raymond Bonilla passed away peacefully with his family at his bedside on Monday, June 17, 2019. Raymond was blessed to celebrate his 94th birthday with family and friends this past March.
He was born in Colorado City, Texas on March 14, 1925 to Eleno Bonilla and Gregovia Segovia. In 1943, the Eleno-Bonilla family moved to Coalinga, California where Raymond met the love of his life, Phyllis, at a farming ranch called Campo Verde. After he and Phyllis married, Raymond moved his wife to San Luis Obispo, California to start a family and to begin his service in the United States Army. He served in the Army during World War II from December 1944 to September 1948 and received several awards for his service as an Expert Infantryman.
After his military service, he moved his wife and children to Fresno where he started out as a seasonal crop harvester, often traveling between Santa Maria and Santa Rosa. Years later Raymond worked as a groundskeeper at the Fresno County Courthouse before moving the family to the Los Angeles area. Once there, he performed different jobs, most notably working as a bus driver for the Rowland Heights Unified School District. Although he worked a combined total of 35 years professionally in Fresno and Los Angeles, Raymond was most passionate about his driving occupation. He loved driving and had many memorable moments, such as driving international athletes to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to compete during the 1984 Summer Olympics. When he retired from work, he moved back to Fresno to enjoy time with his family and relatives.
During his lifetime, Raymond had many interests. He was most passionate about being a fan of the San Francisco Giants until he moved to Los Angeles where he softened to the Los Angeles Dodgers after years of being a Los Angeleno. Raymond also loved taking his family on road trips throughout the Southwest to visit with family and friends, tour historical places, and watch professional baseball during Spring Training in Scottsdale, Arizona. While at home in Fresno, he enjoyed being current with local, state, and national news, reading the bible many times over, and frequenting local casinos.
Raymond is survived by his three daughters, Virginia Arenas, Tomasa Bonilla, and Gloria Bonilla; his son, Adrian Munoz Bonilla; his brothers, Manuel and Eleno Bonilla; and his sister, Mary Lou Liu. He is predeceased by his wife Phyllis and children Margaret Smith and Raymond Bonilla Jr. He will be missed by his 27 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Sierra Villa Assisted Living in Clovis, California for his care these past three years as well as the staff of the Veteran’s Administration Hospital and Community Living Center.
Visitation will be held at Tinkler Funeral Chapel and Crematory on Sunday, June 23, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. followed by a recitation of the Holy Rosary at 6:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mary Queen of Apostles Catholic Church on Monday, June 24, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at St. Peter’s Cemetery.
