Robert Bond

Robert "BJ" Bond Foundation

"Benefiting local families by creating memories and giving hope"

MEMORIES

I met BJ in 3rd grade at St. Joseph / St. Robert's in Warrington. Over the next 10 years of my life he made a profound impact on me; which I carry to this day. Bj wasn’t much of an athlete, and he was never the best student. His skills and gifts to the people around him weren’t tangible. He was however, one of the kindest, pure hearted people I have come across in my life. He always had a smile on his face and could make you laugh without effort. Probably the most recognizable quality BJ had was his laugh. We used to joke around with him that he laughed exactly like Beavus and Butthead, and he did. When he laughed you couldn’t help but follow suit. It was contagious and would resonate throughout your soul. No matter how bad of a day you may have had, or how upset you were; Bj’s laugh was a guaranteed cure. BJ lived everyday as it were his last and squeezed more enjoyment out of the 17 years he was with us than most do in a lifetime. He left us way to soon and in the prime of his life. One can always question why God could take such a beautiful person from us and none of us will ever know the answer to that. What I do know however, is that he inspired a large group of his close friends and family to do something productive to help as many people as we can in his memory. And we will…….Thank You BJ

Feel free to add any funny stories, thoughts, memories, you may have shared with BJ so we can post them on the site….bjmemorialfund@hotmail.com

BJ, my angel, my friend

All the memories we have

Walking on the beach at sunset

Exchanging smiles at one another

Never to be lost or forgotten.

The laughs we shared,

Foolish things we'd say,

only understanding each other.

The laughs are no more.

The tears after the arguments,

Now tears only shed from a broken heart.

A wonderful, young man, beginning to change,

Wanting to make a difference,

Touching so many lives on the way.

You left me too soon with only questions to be asked.

My mind wanders feeling lost and confused.

No one to talk to, no one to listen.

Wishing, hoping for comfort,

Needing just one hug.

Never to see your face again,

only a picture to hold on to.

Wanting to hug you, kiss you, or even hold your hand

Unable to.

Everyday is a challenge

Thinking about you every second.

My life has changed forever,

An emptiness in my heart never to be filled.

I feel you watching me,

I know you're protecting me.

My guardian angel, soaring over me with words never spoken.

If only I could talk with you one more time,

Then I would be happy and always know,

You are my angel, My friend.

11/1997

BJ seemed to grow from this little kid who was attached to your hip, into a teenager that thought anyone older than him was a little out of touch. BJ had the downstairs bedroom and had it decorated the way any teenage kid would with a lot of rock posters and stuff from school. Before he would come home, we would re-decorate his room with album covers of his not so favorite bands like Air Supply, Barry Manilow and maybe Nat King Cole's Christmas collection Bonanza. Needless to say, that would provide us with a lot of laughs and the inevitable pay-back...

He was a lot of fun to goof around with and that was how we got along. Whether we were at home or at our weekly Sunday Dinner Wrestling Matches with full blown wedgie attacks, BJ liked to be right in the middle of the action with his brothers and cousins. I know I will never forget the short time I got to spend with BJ.
Mark

A FRIEND LOST

A friend lost, nine years ago, so tragically
To change the lives of all involved so dramatically

In order to help others, strangers, is so beautiful
With his name attached couldn't be more suitable

A goofy smile and a unique laugh memorialized forever
Thru kindness and generosity, a charitable endeavor

A piece of my heart was lost on that October morning
A young life taken without any warning

To use that pain and turn it into devotion
For a foundation built on positive emotion

To help this thing grow at any cost
A friend remembered is never a friend lost

5/1/2006

Memory from the Fishing Trip..........

Hours before boarding the North Star, (the charter boat to accompany the first annual fishing trip), the wind was kicking, the waves were showing their might, and the temperatures had dropped from the spring like 60’s and delivered a winter like chill that had us all second guessing the timing of the trip.

As we arrived at the dock, we stocked the boat with food and beverages that twice as many people couldn’t finish, and boarded the boat for a night of friends, fishing, and fun. Once we pulled away from the dock you could tell that something was about to change, the weather wasn’t so cold, the wind had calmed, and the sea seemed as smooth as glass. The stars were crystal clear and there was a comforting glow to the night….it was obvious someone was looking out for us.

This trip held a little extra meaning since it was the very same boat that BJ and his Dad had chartered years before, and now was occupied with friends and family that only someone like BJ could bring together.

The ride out was filled with the laughter of good friends catching up, anticipation of the night ahead, and an occasional sound of crackling metal indicative only of beer cans being ripped opened. The night was only beginning. From the second the call was made to “drop the lines”, all you could hear were the adrenaline laced cries of “FISH ON” coming from all over the boat. By midnight the boat looked like a war zone as the deck was blanketed with more fish than anyone of us could believe. It was shaping up to be a fisherman’s fantasy that couldn’t have been duplicated at a fish farm.

As the night grew older the fish just kept piling up, the beers kept going down, and memories of the trip were starting to make a lasting impression. I will never forget the endless piles of fish littering the boat, the mysterious change in the weather that seemed to only last for our trip, and Tom Long’s appetite for freshly caught bluefish.

BJ, your presence that night will forever be appreciated in the memories that were made………..thanks for looking out for us.

-Mike