Joseph L. Bonney III

Joe Bonney, age 74, passed away peacefully November 28, 2023 after a brief illness.

Born and raised on the Jersey Shore in Interlaken, he attended Asbury Park High School and Belknap College in Center Harbor, NH. His love of New England kept him living there after graduating. In 1972, he married another Jersey Shore native, Barbara Steckbeck. They have two daughters, Elisabeth Simpson and Meredith Aaron. Elisabeth has three children – Payton, Burkley, and Grey. Meredith recently was married to Andy Aaron which made Joe a very proud Dad.

Joe was an avid golfer from a very young age, a gift from his granddad, Joseph Sr. and dad, Joseph Jr. playing always at Deal Golf and Country Club. While living in New Hampshire, he and Barbara created several restaurants modeled after their favorite foods from the Jersey Shore.

In 1984, Joe moved to Wilmington to work with his Mom and Dad in the family owned business franchise of Hertz Rent-A-Car. He went on to own and operate James Limousine of DE. In later years, he worked as an independent sales rep selling limousines and buses.

Joe was always the life of the party. He was the first one to break any rules that were in place and loved nothing more than to get everyone around him laughing. Although he was 74, Joe had close friends of all ages and this remained true to his very last days with us.

Anyone who knew Joe, knew he was a diehard Giants fan, and this was tough living in Eagles country. Every week, Joe relied on a band of friends to give him commentary. The banter shared in these texts were priceless. It added a dimension to the game that was enjoyed as much if not more than the game itself.

He loved his wood burning fire, calling old friends late at night, sitting by the Elks pool, and beautifully landscaped yard. But, more than anything in this world, he loved his girls beyond belief, they were his pride and joy.

Joe is survived by his wife; daughters; sisters, Carolyn Eyerman and Melissa Harron. He was loved and will be greatly missed by many family members and friends as well as his grand dogs.

A celebration of Joe’s life will be 12:00 pm, December 11, 2023, which would have been his 75th birthday, at the Elks Lodge No 307, 1310 Carruthers Lane, Wilmington DE 19803.