The Bond family is saddened to share the sudden passing of Rick Bond on May 9, 2024, while being treated for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Rick was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 27, 1947. His parents, Helen Blake Bond and Clifford Bond grew up together in Caldwell, Ohio. Rick's father was career military, so Rick spent a great deal of time stateside with his mom. After WWII, his dad was stationed in Austria. Here, Rick learned to speak German and snow ski at a very young age. Rick's dad was posted to Fort Benning. Thus, the introduction to catfish, hushpuppies, and grits at Pritchard's Restaurant. His father was posted to Indiana and Colorado, and South Korea. While at Fort Benning, Rick continued his participation in the Boy Scouts, traveling to Jamboree prior to his achievement of Eagle Scout at age 13. Due to his dad's health, the three of them moved back to Columbus, Ohio when Rick entered the 8th grade. He participated in football, wrestling, and baseball all his years through high school and graduated from Grandview Heights High School, class of 1965.   Bowling Green State University in Ohio was the next step, studying to teach PE and coach athletics. Anything, that is, but soccer. Oh, and goalie for his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, hockey team because he could play from his knees, as he didn't know how to skate.

During Rick's senior year of college, he met his future wife, Gail, in a PE class for special needs children. A wonderful side story unfolded as to how they met in March of 1969, engaged in August of the same year, and married in June of 1970. And they were married just six weeks shy of 54 years.

Rick began teaching while Gail finished college at Ohio State, obtaining his master's degree in education administration from The Ohio State University. In 1982, with Matthew and Molly now part of the family, Rick and Gail decided a "change" was needed. They contracted to teach at an American oil company, Belco Petroleum, in the north of Peru. He was the principal of the correspondence high school, which was the precursor to an online school.

Next stop was the American Embassy school in Damascus, Syria where he was the athletic director. Teams traveled to different countries, not just cities, in the Near East South Asia Schools Conference.  Politically, this was a difficult time and when the two year contract was complete, Rick and Gail felt it was time to go home to the US. Back in the same house in Columbus, Ohio, Rick thought he would try business…sales. An active, people-focused job. Two years of that and he missed coaching. This was the perfect time to take his family to Georgia. He wanted to be on the coast, finding Richmond Hill, a quiet suburb of Savannah in 1988. But he returned to coaching at Beach High School in 1990, then to Jenkins High School as head coach, where his first year he was named city coach of the year. Moving on, as coaches sometimes do, Rick taught and coached at Liberty County High, then Richmond Hill High School. Wrestling was always Rick's first choice of sports. He felt the commitment and performance relied on no one but self. He was fortunate to start, literally, wrestling programs at Beach High and Richmond Hill High School, by saying "This is a wrestling mat, boys." Rick was also instrumental in the opening of the Richmond Hill Middle School program. And Richmond Hill programs are flourishing today thanks to wonderful coaches. Rick retired from Richmond Hill High School as teacher/athletic director in 2013.

Retirement allowed him to fully participate in his beloved passion of paintball, including his son and daughter over the years, his son-in-law recently, too. His paintball team, BBK or the Black and Blue Krew located in Ludowici, GA at Low Country Paintball…so many players became close friends and family, especially Billy Smith, who is the owner of the field.

Rick is preceded in death by his parents, Clifford and Helen Bond. He is survived by his wife Gail; son Matthew and daughter-in-law Jennifer of Statesboro; daughter Molly and son-in-law Nathan and bonus grandchildren Katie and Logan Huffmaster of Valdosta; cousins Steve Blake (Nancy), Beth Snider, Susan Gloyd (John) and their families; special neighbors Grant and Beany Haight.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, May 13, 2024 at Richmond Hill Funeral Home.

Burial will be private.