Michael Bone

Born: August 28, 1960

Death: July 10, 2016

Occupation: Engineer employed by Northrop Grumman

Aircraft Corporation, General Dynamics, Raytheon

Aircraft, and Boeing Aircraft Company

Funeral services for Mr. Michael Wade Bone of Atlanta, GA will

be Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at Phillips Christian

Methodist Episcopal Church (200 Davis Circle - Huntsville, AL

35801) with Pastor Keith Ellison officiating.

Interment will be announced later.

Visitation will be Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the

Nelms Memorial Funeral Home Chapel.

Michael's Story

Instead of arriving on his expected day, Michael Wade Bone was

born to Wade and Mattie Daniels Bone on August 28, 1960, his

father's birthday. From that date until the Lord called him home

on July 10, 2016, he continued expressing himself in unique

ways.

His athletic prowess began in the Edmonton Heights community

where children played ball on Eaton Road. It extended to the

Northwest YMCA where he excelled on city and state little

league championship teams. Later, he lettered in baseball and

won tennis championships at West Lafayette High School in

Indiana. Among the pictures and citations neatly packaged in his

desk drawer is a certificate of physical fitness signed by

President Richard Nixon.

Michael's formative physical activities had a profound impact on

his lifestyle. He loved playing recreational basketball, watching

sports, staying physically fit, and mentoring others in their quest

for physical fitness. He volunteered as an Amateur Athletic

Union basketball coach and energetically coached teams for the

Georgia Pistols, Georgia Hoopstars, Atlanta Liberty, Georgia

Elite, and Peak Performance. Moreover, he built friendships and

relationships with others in the Georgia basketball community.

Michael, known affectionately as Mike, began his spiritual

journey at Phillips Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in

Huntsville, Alabama. At the tender age of 6, he committed his

life to Christ and was baptized by the Reverend H. L.

Gilliam. He sang in the children's choir, attended Sunday School,

served as an acolyte, ushered, and participated in the Christian

Youth Fellowship (CYF). At home, his parents instilled

Christian values and reinforced the teaching of the church. In

recent years, Mike worshipped with the Liberty Hill Missionary

Baptist Church and Pilgrim Baptist Church Families in Marietta,

Georgia.

A happy and gregarious child, Michael was known by his

unforgettable smile and his fun-loving nature. He enjoyed family

trips, summer vacations, and family gatherings. Michael carried

that same joy into fatherhood and his 22-year marriage to Pamela

Robinson Bone. He relished spending time with his girls and

could be caught bench pressing Lauren and Mareva. Michael

loved his daughters' friends and was known to them as "PaPa

Bone."

As a student at West Lafayette High School, he explored the

Purdue University Campus, met new friends, and often managed

to meet visiting coaches of the Big Ten Conference. "Bo"

Schembechler was one of his favorites.

Although he attended Anna Knight Elementary School at

Oakwood College and several schools in the Huntsville City

System, including Lee High School, he graduated from West

Lafayette High School in Indiana in 1978. His love of

mathematics and completion of the Minority Introduction to

Engineering (MITE) Program with the late Dr. Arthur Bond at

Purdue University led him to pursue a career in engineering. He

studied Chemical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology

before joining the United States Marine Corps where he served

as an avionics radar technician aboard the USS Ranger, traveling

to South Korea and Hawaii. Michael continued working in

avionics and engineering while employed by Northrop Grumman

Aircraft Corporation, General Dynamics, Raytheon Aircraft, and

Boeing Aircraft Company.

He continued to study, earning a professional certificate in

manufacturing engineering from the University of California San

Diego, completing the Advanced Avionics/ Electronics Program

from the Navy Electronics School, and finishing the

Management Fundamental Program at the Lockheed Martin

Institute for Excellence. For the past 14 years, Michael was

employed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Marietta, Georgia.

He most recently served as Senior Reliability Engineer.

Athlete, coach, student, engineer, father, husband, son, brother,

and friend; Michael left a legacy of love, service, and

achievement. Those who treasure his legacy include his loving

daughters, Mareva Aundrea Bone of Atlanta, GA and Lauren

Nichole Bone of Marietta, GA; his parents, Malcolm and Dr.

Mattie Thomas of Huntsville, AL; his sister, Evette Fulton of

Glendale, AZ; his nephew, Dante (Alicia) Fulton of Pittsburgh,

PA; four aunts, Carrie Langford and Lillie G. Walker of

Huntsville, AL, Bernice Mickens of Columbia, SC, and Anloys

Roberts of Wetumpka, AL; three uncles, Ellis Tillman (Mary)

Bone, Winfred (Delois) Bone and Alton (Carolyn) Bone, all of

Huntsville, AL; a niece, Mira Fulton of Pittsburgh, PA; myriads

of cousins, other relatives, and many friends.