Mary Bondy Obituary, Death – Mary Dale Melancon Bondy, 58, died on May 8, 2023, at 5:30 p.m., surrounded by her adoring family. She was born on February 11, 1965, in Morganza, Louisiana, and spent her youth learning how to cook, laugh, and pray from her industrious parents and four sisters.
She went to Catholic of Pointe Coupee, where she found the love of her life, Matt, who had a similar childhood and shared her beliefs. They married in 1985 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and she moved to New Roads while finishing her undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University. She returned to Catholic of Pointe Coupee after finishing with a degree in elementary education in 1987, where she taught second and fourth grade and eventually became the school librarian.
Her students admired her kind and quiet manner, which she accented with a biting wit. She worked full-time while raising her family; she was eight months pregnant with her second child when she obtained her Master of Arts in Reading Education from LSU in 1992. She joined False River Realty in 2001 as a real estate agent alongside her husband after teaching for 11 years, as her people skills and knowledge of technology made her an ideal fit for the job.
She was a selfless mother to her three children, Clay, Christian, and Hays, as well as a member of the National Association of Realtors, a past president of the Mothers’ Culture Club, a member of Saint Mary’s church cleaning group, and even assisted her husband in producing films of the New Roads Lion’s Mardi Gras Carnival parades each year. All the while, Mary Dale was aware that in order to change the world, she needed to return home and love her family.
Every day, she was on the front lines, pouring all of her love into her home, creating a secure haven for her children to develop, create, play, and dream. There was no finer spot than Mary Dale’s kitchen; she was recognized for her ability to make delectable cajun dishes, thus her kitchen became a popular gathering place for her family. Everyone who knew Mary Dale adored her; her charm, wit, and beauty captivated her, yet her quiet strength stood steadfast and steady, fed by her own mother and father, family, and God.
Mary Dale is survived by her loving husband of 38 years, Matt Bondy, and their three children, Clay Bondy and wife Mia, Christian Bondy, and Hays Bondy; her devoted mother, Jo Ann Melancon; her four sisters, Marcella Dickinson, Toni Vollman, Darlene Sheridan, and Lynell Jordan, and their husbands; her Bondy in-laws, and her 23 nieces and nephews. Joseph Clayton Melancon, a father she adored, predeceased her.
Visitations will be held at Niland’s funeral home on Monday, May 15, from 5 – 8 p.m., and Tuesday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Father Miles Walsh will officiate at the burial ceremony on Tuesday, May 16, at 12 p.m., followed by entombment at St. Mary’s Mausoleum and bereavement in St. Mary’s Parish Hall. Clay Bondy, Hays Bondy, Adrian Smith, David Smith, Courtland Dickinson, and Ryan Jordan will serve as pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, the Melancon and Bondy families request that a charitable donation be given in Mary Dale’s name to St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
