Our Dad, Kenneth Adams Bonsack, age 72 passed away at home on June 15, 2010. He was born on May 31, 1938 to Albert Edward Bonsack and Edna Mae Bonsack (Adams). As a child in Phoenix, he worked all year selling newspapers after school, so he could travel to Paulsboro, N.J. and spend the summer with his extended family. Traveling by himself at a very young age, he would count the days until he could take the bus, train or plane that would get him back to Jersey. After graduating from West High School in Phoenix, AZ, he joined the Navy. Much of his tour was spent in Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, where he became an accomplished scuba diver. To hear Dad talk, it is clear that the time he spent in New Jersey as a child and the time he spent in the Navy as a young man in love, were the happiest days of his life. Dad completed two years at Phoenix College in Arizona while working part time as a teller for Valley National Bank. After college, he worked full time for Valley. In 1960, he moved his family to New Jersey. He worked at the 1st National Bank of Paulsboro for a while but left 1st National to take a position with the U.S. Treasury Department as a National Bank Examiner. At the time, he was the youngest person ever to be charged with the position. Engaged in civic affairs, he was a member of the Moose Lodge, Elks and Lions Club. In 1966, our family moved to Phoenix, AZ. He continued his work with the Treasury Department while living in Phoenix. In 1978, Dad moved to Las Vegas. He held the position of Vice President of Corporate Loans for Valley Bank of Nevada. In 1989, he moved back to Phoenix and took a position at Phoenix College as the office manager in the counseling department. He thoroughly enjoyed his work at Phoenix College and made some great friends there. He retired from Phoenix College in 2008 (some thirty years after being a student there). Dad was an artist in his own right. He was a master leather craftsman, built large-scale gas-propelled model airplanes, painted, enjoyed stamp and coin collecting, and photography. He was an avid movie buff. From making his own home movies on Super 8 film in the 1960's and 1970's to collecting hundreds of motion pictures on DVD, he loved the cinema. You could give him any line from any movie and he could name it! Another passion of Dad's was words, their meaning, origin, and spelling. You could always find him looking something up in the dictionary and the thesaurus. He was an amazing wordsmith! Dad was hilarious! He loved to laugh and make others laugh. He was known for his crazy sense of humor and his quick wit. We will all miss his laughter. Predeceased by his mother Edna Mae Bonsack (1994) and his father Albert Edward Bonsack (1996), he is survived by his daughters Katherine "Kathy" Ann Van Liew (Vaughn), Athens, GA, Nancy Lee Pereira (Wayne), Sandy, UT, Cynthia Kaye Garcia "Cindy" (Donald Wood), Peoria, AZ; his grandchildren Vaughn Adam Van Liew II (Amy), Glendale, AZ and Bethany Alanna Van Liew Dumas (Joseph), Fultondale, AL; his great-grandchildren Vaughn Aidan Van Liew III, Jonathan David Dumas, Katelyn Anaya Van Liew, Josiah Adam Dumas, Isaiah Cole Van Liew and Chloe Ruth Dumas; his brother Frank Frederick Bonsack II (Geraldine), Phoenix, AZ, his nephew Robert Wilson Bonsack; his niece Mary Edna Bonsack, (Brian Allen),their children, Alexis Elizabeth Mae, Rachael Shelby, Skylar Kierlan, Peoria, AZ; his aunt Elizabeth Zanes (Newt), N.C.; his childhood friend and cousin Warren Adams (Barbara) as well as many other cousins, nieces and nephews. Dad loved cats and would take in any stray that came his way. He spent endless time and energy caring for them, tending to the sick or injured ones and those too young to be on their own. Once they were healthy and well fed, he would try to find new homes for them. He leaves behind "Sugar", "Miracle", "Taffy", and "Bootsie". Relatives and friends are invited to attend services on August 2, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at Eglington Cemetery, 320 Kings Highway, Clarksboro, NJ. Contact Adams-Stiefel Funeral Home 856-423-0179 for more information. The family of Kenneth Adams Bonsack would like to thank Arizona Hospice of the Valley. No words can express our gratitude for the love and care they gave to Dad and to us. " MEMORIAL DONATIONS Arizona Humane Society 9226 N 13th Ave Phoenix, AZ 85021 (602) 997-7585 www.AZHumane.org Hospice of the Valley 1510 E. Flower St Phoenix, AZ 85014 www.hov.org