Eugene S. Bonina, a righteous man, was called home by the Lord on August 26 2018. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 58 years, Grace Bonina. He was a devoted father to Jeff Bonina (Pam) and Michele Hofmann (Dennis) and an adoring Papa to his 7 grandchildren: James and Esther Canter, Kayla Bonina, Michael Bonina, Zachary Hofmann, Taylor Hofmann and Ashley Hofmann. He was predeceased by his parents, Josephine and Salvatore Bonina and 6 of his siblings and is survived by his sister Emilia Meno.
He was born and raised in Stamford Connecticut and attended Southern Connecticut Teachers College. Shortly after, he joined the Marines and was selected to be a physical training instructor at Paris Island where he trained many professional athletes including Frank Robinson and Roberto Clemente. After returning home from Paris Island, Gene began his career in insurance.
In 1972, Gene moved his family to Boca Raton, Florida. By 1975, he opened Bonina Insurance Agency and within 5 years, it was the largest insurance agency in the area. Gene’s expertise in the insurance industry made him a sought out advisor on many insurance boards. When he was not working, you could find him at the baseball or football fields in one of his cherished roles, Coach Bonina! Not only did he coach his son but he came out of “retirement” to coach his grandson in Little League Baseball.
His passion for helping people, led to his involvement in the development of Palm Beach Food Bank, Cafe Joshua, The Lord’s Place and Food for the Poor, as well as St. Joan of Arc’s first hunger program, which subsidized various charities.
When given the opportunity, Grace and Gene truly enjoyed traveling the world together, however, their pride in their Italian roots often brought them to Italy. They enjoyed one last trip to their favorite part of Italy, the Almalfi Coast, just prior to Gene’s passing.
Whether it was dance, plays, baseball, football, basketball, volleyball or an awards event at school, Gene loved to watch his grandchildren flourish in anything they were involved in. Of course, anyone who knew Gene knows of his long standing love for the Miami Hurricane’s football team and how he looked forward to the season with all of his friends. Florida brought many amazing friendships with people whom he deeply loved and were more like family, but he never forgot Stamford, his family and “the boys”.
Gene will be honored at a memorial mass on September 5, 2018 at 11 am at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Boca Raton, Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Food For The Poor www.foodforthepoor.org/donate.
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