Obituary of Walter Allen Bonney

Dr. Walter A. Bonney, Jr., of Morgantown, West Virginia, died April 18, 2015. He was 85. Dr. Bonney was born in Enterprise, MS and graduated with a B.S. from the University of Alabama in 1950. He attended concurrently with his sisters: the late Rosa Bonney Brooks of Meridian, MS and Mary Ann Bonney Riley, also of Meridian, MS. He was also a life-long fan of Alabama Football – Roll Tide! After graduating from Alabama, Dr. Bonney received his M.D. in 1954 from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He married the former Virginia Kurtz in Cleveland, OH in 1956. They met while he was working at University Hospitals of Cleveland from 1954 – 1956 and she as a medical secretary at the hospital. Dr. Bonney was a captain in the US Army stationed in Landstuhl, West Germany from 1956 – 1958. He completed his residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Sloan Hospital for Women at New York-Presbyterian Hospital from 1958 – 1962. After working in New York City, Dr. Bonney became chairman of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN from 1962 – 1966, and helped to desegregate the medical center. Later, he became a professor and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. Dr. Bonney went into private practice with Behnam, Bonney, Palladino from 1974 – 1988, and was an attending physician and former Chief of Surgery at Monongalia General Hospital in Morgantown. All told, Dr. Bonney delivered over 5,000 babies during his career. Dr. Bonney was predeceased by two daughters, Susan E. Bonney of Washington, D.C. and Lynne D. Bonney of Nashville, TN; and a sister, Rosa Bonney Brooks of Meridian, MS. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Kurtz Bonney of Morgantown, WV; daughter, Amy Bonney-Hoffman of Seattle, WA; son-in-law, David A. Hoffman of Seattle; grandson, Andrew Kurtz Hoffman of Seattle; sister, Mary Ann Bonney Riley of Meridian, MS; nieces Ann Riley Dennis of Plano, TX and Allen B. Chamberlain of Richmond, VA; and nephew Richard F. Riley, Jr. of Charlottesville, VA. Dr. Bonney will be laid to rest at Enterprise Cemetery in Enterprise, MS. Hastings Funeral Home has been entrusted with assisting the family of Dr. Bonney. There will be no local public services. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association: www.alz.org. Send condolences online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com.