James Robert Bond

James Robert Bond, 73, of Palominas, Arizona recently passed away unattended but peacefully of natural causes in his lifelong Palominas home on January 20, 2019.. James was born in Bisbee, Arizona to James “Tex” Bond and Nora “Patsy” Higgins Bond on June 3, 1945, Except during his Navy enlistment years, James was a lifelong part of the Palominas, Bisbee and Sierra Vista communities.

He was the only child of early settlers of the Palominas area.. James’ father, James “Tex” Bond, came with the cavalry to Douglas, Arizona in 1920..

Tex left the area at the end of his Army enlistment but in 1937 returned to cowboy on the Y-Lightening cattle and dude ranch in Hereford. In 1941, Nora Higgins came from Indianapolis to visit her cousin Rose Clinton (later Smith) at the Jack and Delia Clinton JDC homestead in Palominas.. When the two young ladies visited the Y-Lightening Ranch, Patsy accepted a job in the Y-Lightning kitchen. Her Irish accent quickly earned her the nickname “Patsy.” Petite kitchen “Patsy” soon met tall, good-looking cowboy “Tex” and in 1942 they married..

James came along in 1945 just in time to join Tex and Patsy in their newly purchased Palominas home fronting on what is now Highway 92., For the next six years, Tex and Patsy worked at Arthur Thompson’s Rancho del Rio on the east bank of the San Pedro River.. James had vivid memories of a beautiful duck pond outside the kitchen area of that ranch house — and a big mean resident goose chasing him there. Walter Kolbe later bought that property as a guest ranch. Today it’s a lovely residential community for persons with autism. “Little Jimmy Bond” grew up and lived most of his life in that 1945 family home.

He attended Palominas School where all the girls knew he was the most attractive boy in school. He was a member of the Palomar 4-H club, participating in swimming activities and learning electricity. He took piano lessons in Bisbee, playing his favorite Boogie Woogie music at every opportunity. While attending Bisbee High School, James worked at Chuck Lamphere’s San Jose area Bisbee Texaco. Upon high school graduation in 1963, Little Jimmy’s mother urged him to shift to his father’s and his own grown-up name of James.

James proudly served our country in the U.S. Navy. Stationed in California, a highlight of his Navy career was being part of the Navy crew sent out to pick up the NASA Space Capsule when it splashed down in the Pacific. Returning to Palominas, James worked underground for Bisbee’s Phelps Dodge Mining Company. He later became a salesman for the Culiver Car Dealership in Sierra Vista. He continued selling vehicles there after Lawley bought out Culiver. However, after several years James accepted the responsibility of managing Lawley’s Service Operation. During his career as top salesman and reliable service manager, his personality, politeness and “James Bond” moniker gained him many friends locally and around the world.

After retirement James enjoyed working in his yard and doing volunteer and service tasks in his three communities. The greatest love of his life, delighting those retirement years, was his precious Mary who predeceased him January 3, 2015. James never got over her loss. Tempering that sadness for a few days was a special visit in October 2018 by one of James’ Irish cousins, Brian Flaherty and Brian’s wife Catriona. They arrived in Arizona just weeks after the unexpected death of Gerald Varley, another cousin James had visited in Ireland back when both were in their twenties. James and Gerald had maintained years of regular, often monthly international phone conversations. The pictures and genealogy charts Brian and Catriona brought from Ireland stimulated hours of talk easing much of the sharp new grief and loss James was feeling at the unexpected ending of years of close friendship he had so enjoyed sharing with his other Irish cousin, Gerald. James was a font of knowledge about Palominas history and the many Palominas locals who shared his early years. Through the years, they all grew and changed, becoming life-long friends as the Palominas community grew and changed with and around them.

This last Christmas James enjoyed a marvelous gathering of many of those life-long friends. They shared hours of stories old and new with good food and drink and the warm companionship old friends never get enough of. James left no descendants, but he does leave behind his Palominas cousin MaryFrances Clinton and a wide circle of community connections and friends stretching sentimentally back into Bisbee and forward into Sierra Vista from his decades there as salesman and service manager in the car business.

A memorial service celebrating the completion of James’ life will be held at St. Michael’s Mission in Naco at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 28. That lovely little community church can be reached by driving south to Naco on Willson Road from Highway 92 just west of Bisbee. As you enter Naco, turn left on Martinez Street to St. Michael’s Mission at 2090 Martinez Street. James spent many volunteer hours taking care of those grounds and fixing things there. After the service, continue east on Martinez Street to Naco Road, then north to Bisbee’s Safeway Plaza and the China Land Restaurant where James and Mary enjoyed many delightful meals. You can share stories there while enjoying a buffet of Chinese hors d’oeuvres.

James’ ashes will be interred at 0900 on Wednesday, May 1 by a military Honor Guard in the columbarium at the Military Cemetery in Sierra Vista.

Instead of flowers, James would be truly honored by his friends remembering him with donations to the James Bond Memorial Fund sponsored by the Palominas Fire District where James spent many volunteer hours.

Those donations can be mailed to The Palominas Fire District at 10202 South Highway 92, Hereford, AZ 85615. Or contact the Fire District at 520-803-9919.

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