William E. Bonnice

William E. ‘bil’ Bonnice obit photo

William E. ‘bil’ Bonnice, Ph.D., of Nashua, NH, age 96, passed away on February 15, 2023, after a lengthy and hard-fought illness. bil was born on November 17, 1926, in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, son of William and Dorothea Bonnice. He is survived by his life partner of 25 years, Carol Farmer; his children William F. Bonnice (Margaret), Michelle Bonnice, Barbara Bonnice (the late Harry Tachiki), Iris Clearwater and Rana Bonnice, his five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Carol’s children, Rebecca Banner (Ron), Roxanne Taylor, Barry Farmer (Stacey), Tom Farmer (Joan), Sandi Wong (Ray), the late Wally Farmer (Vicki) became his own, as did her ten grandchildren. His adventurous and innovative spirit, grounded in honesty, altruism and the wish for himself and others guided his choices and actions as a devoted partner, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend as well as a lifelong teacher of mathematics and computer science.

bil got his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Syracuse University, a master’s degree in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Washington. He taught in the Department of Mathematics at the University of New Hampshire for thirty-five years, later teaching Mathematics and Computer Science at Rivier College and Daniel Webster College. He pioneered peer-led cooperative learning in his field, traveled the world, and continuously tried to improve his physical abilities through his love of sports – participating in marathons, skiing, tennis, golfing and softball, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro at age 81. He particularly enjoyed his association with the “Old Bucks” golf group and Nashua’s “over 70” softball league.

He nurtured his deep love and respect for nature in all of its forms. He will be greatly loved and missed by all who have been blessed to know him. He has generously contributed to his family in every way and to groups aligned with his values for a more peaceful, happy and healthy world.

There will be no services as, true to his nature, he has donated his body to science to benefit learning and research. He will be honored in a Celebration of Life on Thursday, March 23, 2023, 12:00 to 3:00 pm, at the Nashua Country Club, Fairway Street, Nashua.

In lieu of flowers, please pay it forward with a kind deed in honor of bil.