Daryl J. Bond

Daryl J. Bond entered this world on June 10, 1938, at home, on the family homestead in Caddo Co. near Eakly, Oklahoma.  Daryl was the third of four children born to Floy and Harold Bond.  His siblings included his older brother Bobbie, sister Clare Mae, and younger brother Ted.  All preceded Daryl in death.  While Daryl's early life on the farm during the Great Depression and the war years was modest by contemporary standards, there was always plenty of food and love to go around.

Growing up Daryl worked on the family farm before graduating from Alfalfa High School in 1956.  After graduation he attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University for one year before starting what would become a lifelong construction career that spanned over 40 years.

Not long after starting his construction career, Daryl, 21, married Velva-Jo McKelvey, 18, on July 10, 1959.  They were married for almost 65 years.  "Have wheels, will travel," was their moto as on the road they went.  They lived in over 14 different locations in Oklahoma during these traveling years.

But they would have some surprises on the road. On December 2, 1960 their first son, Darren, was born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  On September 1, 1963 their second son, Kevin, was born in Henryetta, OK.  But another life changing event also occurred on the road when in 1965 Daryl was baptized into the Church of Christ.

The nomadic Bonds stayed on the road until 1969 when they settled in Yukon, Oklahoma.  Daryl lived there until his passing and Velva still resides in Yukon.  Life in Yukon was about work, family, and church.

On the work front, Daryl successfully started numerous construction companies including Daryl Bond Construction which built bridges across Oklahoma.  In 1990 Daryl served as the President of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors.

On the family front, both sons graduated from Yukon High School and ultimately returned to Yukon to raise their families.

On the church front, Cornwell Drive Church of Christ became the center of the family's life with Daryl serving as both a Deacon and Elder in the church.  This continued when the congregation moved to its current location and became the South Yukon Church of Christ.  Daryl dedicatedly served his church up until his death.  One of his last acts was to bake his "world famous" coconut cream pies which fetched almost $2,000 for their church school.  He was delighted about the success of his pies but couldn't attend because he wasn't feeling well.

The greatest sorrow of Daryl's life was the loss of his son Kevin in 1997.  The loss of Kevin was devasting for Daryl and Velva but it would not stop them from living and loving, as they contributed greatly in helping Kevin's children, Keenan and Braiden Bond deal with their loss.

Daryl's personal passions included fishing and golfing.  He came to golf at the age of 55 and golfed until 2 weeks before his passing.   Various friends and family all kept vigil over him for the 4 days he stayed in the hospital.  However, on May 2, 2024 at 1:40 A.M. he died peacefully with his wife, son, and a grandson by his side.

Among his many attributes, he will be remembered for his teasing humor, his dedication to his church, his friendliness to everyone, his enormous reservoir of physical energy, and his love for his bride of 65 years, Velva-Jo.  We were all blessed by his presence in our lives.  Rest in peace Daryl.  In lieu of flowers donations in Daryl's honor can be made to either of the following: Canadian Valley Christian Academy, located at South Yukon Church of Christ, 11700 NW 10th, Yukon, OK 73099, or St, Jude's Children's Cancer Research Fund, 1650 W. 82nd St, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55431.

Viewing will be held 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Saturday, May 4, 2024 and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sunday, May 5 at the funeral home. Celebration of life services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, May 6, at South Yukon Church of Christ, Yukon, with interment following at the Yukon Cemetery.