Bill Bonahoom – Senior Warden: Stewardship & Administration and Finance

I started life in Chicago, Illinois on or about "historic times" in the Roman Catholic Church.  I attended Catholic schools in Chicago and Dayton, Ohio through the seventh grade.  Then upon moving to Alamogordo, New Mexico, I found out what it was like to attend a public school.  What a revelation that was.  Freedom from the nuns' strict regimentation was bewilderingly uplifting, and it cost me about 90 swats in three weeks, I lost count.  That math teacher could really swing a great paddle, too.  Somewhere along that three week span, my father discovered that I was becoming a nuisance in school, he let me know that I would receive more of the same at home.  Couldn't let that happen, it was okay to get the "badge of honor among classmates" but it was not okay to get more at home.  I fixed that by staying just below the math teacher's radar.  He was a great man and I got my degree in math many years later.

After school, some college, and military service, my path crossed with the best person in my entire life, Pam, my wife.  She made changes in me that no one else in the world could.  She made me settle down.  Some time around 1970 we married at St. Mark's-On-The-Mesa and started a family.  I have been in the Episcopal family circle ever since.

As our family grew, we found that we had a little more time to devote to other things than caring for kids.  We should have been a little more involved in church life while they were younger, we did make them attend church every Sunday, and even had our youngest serve on the Altar as an Acolyte.  Their story is still unfolding.

At St. Mary's I have been involved with the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, feeding the homeless at St. Martin's, on the vestry and search committee (finding Fr. Jim, what a treasure), and now serving as your Senior Warden.  I am finding these positions to be very rewarding.  I did not expect it, but the inner good and warming feelings of making things work well in our parish has a benefit and gives me a sense of making a difference for others.  Actually, making a difference has been rather easy since all of you, our parish members, are such great, helpful, and interesting people.

Thank you.