Obituary of Sylvia Kay Bondar

Sylvia "Kay" Bondar (née Hudgins), born on January 9, 1941, in Houston, TX, was the younger daughter of Eugene Fields Hudgins and Lola Lee Hudgins (Miles). After graduating from Bellaire High School in Houston, Texas, where she was the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps’ (ROTC) elected representative, Kay attended Baylor University, where she met her future husband, William Bondar Jr. From this union, she welcomed her only child, Nancy Lee. While pregnant with Nancy, she completed her studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree while teaching art full-time at Mt. Clemens High School. She often joked that Nancy would have been born much earlier had her sculpture professor not carried her work in progress upstairs from the storage locker for each class. 

Kay spent many years as an accountant and bookkeeper for various marine businesses in Oakland and Macomb Counties. She was an astute businesswoman and her employer relied on her counsel. In her 50s, she pursued her passion for education by earning a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) from Michigan State University, which led to her teaching in Marlin, Texas while caring for her elderly parents. After their passing, Kay returned to Michigan and settled in Luzerne, where she continued to share her love for art by teaching in several school districts. She was an active member of the Eastern Star and participated in several other community organizations. 

In her retirement, Kay cherished her time spent gardening and was known for her show stopping blooms and award-winning irises. She nurtured the wildlife around her, generations of Pileated Woodpeckers frequented the massive suet feeders overlooking her gardens as did a particular black bear who was a welcome repeat offender. She was delighted by the fawns that frolicked in her side yard and spellbound by the moon. Above of all, she doted on Pookie, her darling feline. 

Kay is survived by her daughter, Nancy Lee Bondar (Honorable Stephen L. Borrello); her sister-in-law, Jackie Bondar; her brother-in-law, Allen Bondar; numerous friends and Hudgins cousins including Ramona LaBoon (Hudgins) with whom she spent her childhood. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lola and Gene; her sister, Mary LaJuana Perry (Hudgins) and her nephew, Eugene Alan Perry. To sign online guestbook, visit www.cremationsocietymidmi.com  Arrangements made with the Cremation Society of Mid Michigan.