Clayton Lloyd Bonar

Clayton Lloyd Bonar was born November 5, 1934, in Washington County, Kansas, to Earl and Violet (Doane) Bonar. The family moved to California when he was two years old. Clayton graduated from Elk Grove High School in California in 1953, where he was active in band and drama.

In the fall of 1953, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served for three years. While in basic training, he was the leader of a drum and bugle corps that appeared in parades. He was stationed in Korea and Washington. It was during his service, sitting on his bunk with his Gideon New Testament, that he asked Jesus to be his Savior — a faith from which he never wavered.

He then attended Northwest Nazarene College (NNC) beginning in the fall of 1956, majoring in religion. There he met and married Helen Ann Harmaning in 1958. They would have celebrated 68 years of marriage on September 12th. Together they raised two children, Renee (Bonar) Christensen and Scott Bonar, and were blessed with six grandchildren.

Clayton graduated from NNC in 1960 and went on to attend the Nazarene Theological Seminary for one semester. He pastored six churches in Idaho, California, and Washington. While in California, he attended Pasadena College/Point Loma College and Fuller Seminary, earning his Master's degree in Theology. He was a gifted preacher, pastor, teacher, and writer, and served on the Nazarene General Church Curriculum committee, where he researched and wrote many Sunday School lessons. While pastoring on the Northwest District, he served on NNC’s Board of Regents for several years.

In 1992, he began working for the General Church of the Nazarene in the area of planned giving, serving churches in the Midwest and Northwest regions for nearly 12 years.

After retirement from the Church of the Nazarene, he helped care for his in-laws in Twin Falls, Idaho, until they passed. Since 2014, he and Helen made their home in Nampa, Idaho.

He was preceded in death by his father, Earl, and mother, Violet; his brother Delman and his wife Aurelia Bonar; nephew Dale Bonar; brother Jerry Bonar; and grandson Michael Bonar. Also his aunt and uncle, Olen and Cleo Doane, and cousins Leon, Don, and Ray Doane, to whom he was especially close.

He is survived by his wife, Helen of Nampa, ID; daughter Renee (Steve) Christensen and granddaughters Lauren, Danielle (Brandon) Christensen-Wilder, and Sarah, of San Diego, CA; son Scott (Amy) Bonar and children Elise, of Meridian, ID, and Evan (Elizabeth) Bonar, of Orting, WA; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Ken and Marilyn Harmaning of NC, and their children Janelle (Tim) Painter and family, CA, and Joel (Nicole) Harmaning and family, of NC.