Mary Jane Harper Bond

February 18, 2019

Mary Jane Harper Bond, 89, died at her home on February 18 in Huntsville, Alabama. Born in Clendenin, W.Va. to Dr. and Mrs. Clyde A. Harper (Stella Virginia Smith), she was named for her grandmothers, Mary Harper and Jane Smith. Albert F. Bond, Jr., her husband of 59 years, preceded in death in 2011. An accomplished pianist, school teacher and choir director, she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public school music from West Virginia University and began her teaching career in Morgantown, West Virginia. After suspending it to raise her family, she later returned to teaching music and English in the Huntsville City Schools. Additionally, she was a church musician, and for more than a decade served as Choir Director at Central Presbyterian Church in Huntsville. She was also Youth Choir Director at First Baptist Church in Ann Arber, Michigan. As an active alumna of the Delta Gamma Fraternity, she received the Anchor Award for her significant service to the organization. She was also a devoted and skilled gardener, having won several prizes from the Ann Arbor Garden Club. Bond is survived by her children, Mark Bond of Huntsville and Zephyrhills, FL, Mr. and Mrs. David Bond (Beth) of Huntsville, Beverly Bond of Nashville, and 8 nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her three sisters, Obyra Quick, Maxine O’Dell and Uldeana Ellis, and her sister-in-law, Ann Bond Smith. Visitation will be held beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Harper Memorial Church in Harmony, W.Va., followed by a memorial service at 1:30. Burial and interment will follow at the Harper Memorial Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are by Matics Funeral Home, Clendenin.