OLIVER JAMES “JIM” BOND IV
1920-2021
Oliver James “Jim” Bond IV, a quiet, capable man with a twinkle in his eye and a wry sense of humor, died in Austin, TX on September 11, 2021 at age 100. A child of the Depression, he experienced hard times as a youth but lived a long, full life, raised seven children with his wife, Liz, and travelled the world.
The son of MAJ. Oliver James Bond III, a career Army officer who also served in the U.S Coast & Geodetic Survey, and Nellie Sinkler Bond, Jim was born in Charleston, SC on October 9, 1920. He grew up on various military posts, including the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland and Ft. Hayes in Columbus, OH.
After his father died when Jim was 13, he, his sister, and his mother returned to Charleston. He graduated from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, where his grandfather had served as president.
As a member of the Citadel’s Class of 1942, upon graduation Jim was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. During WWII, he helped train soldiers at military bases around the U.S. and later served in the Combat Zone of the European Theater of Operations. He was promoted to Captain and honorably discharged in early 1946.
In 1948, Jim obtained a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute. He then went to work for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey in Aruba, Netherlands Antilles, where he met his future wife, Mary Elizabeth “Liz” Stengel. Jim returned to the U.S. in 1952, married Liz, and began working for another oil company, Caltex, in New York City.
During Jim’s service with Caltex, he and Liz lived in Yokohama, Japan and in Awali, Bahrain. Returning to the U.S. in 1956, Jim worked for Caltex in New York City until a 1967 corporate reorganization transferred him to Texaco in Houston. In 1977, Texaco sent him to Milan, Italy and in 1981 to Pembroke, Wales. After returning to Houston in 1982, he worked on a project in Querétaro, Mexico. He retired in 1983 after 36 years in the oil business.
Throughout his life, Jim pursued a passion for sailing. He learned to sail as a boy in Charleston and sailed extensively around Galveston Bay as an adult in Houston. While working in Europe, he sailed on Lake Garda in Italy, on a tiny catamaran in the Adriatic Sea with a skipper who didn’t speak any English, and on The Solent between England and the Isle of Wight. After retiring, Jim took part in an offshore race from Newport Beach, CA to Ensenada, Baja California and a two-week Sea Explorer cruise in the Bahamas.
Jim also loved music, particularly classical works and Gershwin, but his taste embraced a wide range of musical genres. He had an extensive collection of compact discs and books about music and composers. As a cadet at The Citadel, Jim once hitchhiked from Charleston to the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, NY – a distance of almost 800 miles – to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Jim’s wife, Liz, and one of his sons, Roger Bond, predecease him. Survivors include his daughters Cynthia Bond, Felicia Bond, and Carolyn Bond Fairless; his sons
Oliver James “Jay” Bond V, Daniel Bond, and Leo Bond; Carolyn’s husband, Carter Fairless; Leo’s wife, Carla Bond; his grandsons Andrew Bond, Brendan Bond, and Lee Fairless; and his granddaughters Julia Bond and Elizabeth “Libby” Fairless.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Westminster Health Center, especially Brooks Eastman, as well as the caregivers with Visiting Angels and Hospice Austin, for the comfort and support they gave Jim. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Hospice Austin or the charity of your choice.