John Kenneth Bonebrake

John Kenneth Bonebrake, age 70, a resident of Olney, MD for 25 years, passed away peacefully on October 2, 2019. Born in Washington, DC to George Jacob and Thelma Marie Bonebrake, he is survived by his three children and son-in-law; Katie Nugent, Tommy Bonebrake, Nicki and Rudy Couchman, six grandchildren; Kalyn, Liam, Corinne, Benjamin, Clark and Emma, two sisters and brother-in-laws: Phyllis and Barry Garnand, Priscilla and Ron Andachter, an uncle, Malcom Gowin, eight nieces and nephews, and the mothers of his children, Bonnie Poole (Katie) and Geri Bonebrake (Tommy and Nicki). He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Jim Bonebrake. 

John grew up in Glenmont, and graduated from Wheaton High School where he ran on the cross country team. He attended and played basketball at Montgomery College, Rockville. John served as a Radioman in the U.S. Navy from 1970-1972, then joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he was trained as a Fingerprint Technician. He transitioned to the Immigration & Naturalization Service, where he served as a Supervisory Fingerprint Specialist in their Forensic Document Laboratory. During this time he received and processed over 40,000 pieces of evidence recovered from crime scenes, also identifying thousands of latent finger, palm and footprint images. He testified at over 40 criminal fingerprint cases in 15 U.S. states, often preparing reports and charts that demonstrated fingerprint characteristics for the judge and juries. He received numerous letters of appreciation for these reports from Special Agents, attorneys and private citizens. John finished his 32 years of federal government service as an Intelligence Analyst for the Department of Homeland Security, where he gathered, analyzed and disseminated intelligence. In retirement, his love of golf encouraged his work as a starter and player assistant.

John was an enthusiast of many things, but most of all, it was life. He was born with a childlike sense of wonder about this world that he never lost. He always had a positive attitude, sought out fun and positivity, and enjoyed being around others. He was very active athletically for his entire life - running, playing basketball, softball, volleyball and golf. He also greatly enjoyed coaching, first his children’s sports teams and then volleyball at Sherwood High School. John loved sweets of all varieties, especially chocolate covered cherries, his homemade vanilla ice cream, root beer and cherry pie. He attended as many musicals as he could, and could often be found singing show tunes. He enjoyed spending time at the family barn in New Albany, PA, where he was at home on the tractor or searching for deer with a spotlight. John absolutely loved and was proud of his children, who were always at the forefront of his mind. He loved spoiling his children and grandchildren at Christmas, and was always willing to help out a friend or stranger in need. He truly brought his youthful energy and enthusiasm to all around him, and will be missed greatly.

Visitation will be held on Monday October 7, 2019 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. followed by funeral services at 11:30 a.m. at Donaldson Funeral Home, 12540 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, MD 21029.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the American Diabetes Association. https://www.diabetes.org/donate/donate-memorial

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Kenneth Bonebrake, please visit our floral store.