Milledge Mark Bonham

Milledge Mark Bonham was born on July 7, 1931 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Thomas Grayson and Madge Moore Bonham. He and his family lived in several towns in Louisiana before moving to Longview, Texas. Milledge graduated from Henderson, Texas High School and attended Baylor University and graduated from East Texas Baptist University. He attended First Baptist Church in Longview where he met Betty Jean Rice. They were married May 16, 1954. Milledge was a family name with at least one in every generation. His multitude of friends fondly called him "Midge." The surname Bonham is French, but is well recorded in England. It originates from the medieval phrase Bon-homme meaning a good man, and as such was given as a nickname to a kindly person, or to an individual worthy of admiration and respect. All these characteristics describe Midge. He was interested in genealogy and had traced his family roots. Midge loved biking, running, golfing, softball, basketball, and volleyball. In later years, he competed in biking competitions at Senior Olympics. He was always glad that he didn't finish last. He also enjoyed tinkering with cars and dusted his car and truck every day. He loved photography and had an extensive collection of Kodak cameras. As an avid collector, he had many interests -- car literature, stamps, Cities Service memorabilia, Civil War books, Winston Churchill books, coins, advertising, tape measures, and records. He frequented the booths at the Flea Market in pursuit of his many collections. Midge and Betty enjoyed traveling throughout Europe with friends. There are many fond memories of encountering the food, culture, and history of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. An especially memorable trip was in a rental car with stick shift on the wrong side of the road through the British Isles. A wonderful, thoughtful husband, father, grandfather and friend, Midge had the gifts of encouragement, generosity, and service. At age twenty-six, he was the youngest deacon to be ordained at First Baptist Church, Longview, Texas. He served as deacon in El Dorado, Kansas, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. He lived his faith by example and quiet humility. He considered his musical ability as a talent to be dedicated to the Lord. He served in adult church choirs for over sixty-two years, as choir member, soloist, and quartet member. His fondest memories were of being a part of the Living Christmas Tree for twenty-five years at First Baptist, Tulsa. He was fondly dubbed First Baptist's "Bing Crosby" with his rendition of White Christmas in the Living Christmas Tree. He loved his Lord and his church, serving not only as deacon and chair member but also as Director of Adult Bible classes and as a volunteer at the Caring Center. Midge was a systems analyst for Cities Service Oil Company, Oxy Petroleum Company, and Citgo. Midge was known for his wit and humor; he brought laughter and joy to all he met. He is survived by his loving wife of sixty-five years, Betty Rice Bonham, daughters, Becky Bonham of Tulsa and Caryl Henry of Tulsa, grandsons Mark Henry and wife Abby of Wheaton, Illinois, and Matt Henry and wife Annabelle and expected great-granddaughter Georgia Leigh of Tulsa. He is also survived by other family members in Texas and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, May 25, at Moore Southlawn Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the First Baptist Church of Tulsa Caring Center. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233

Milledge Mark Bonham

July 7, 1931 - May 22, 2019