John W. Bonge, 89 years of age, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 24 at his home in Kirkland Village after a long illness. Born in Evanston, Illinois, he grew up in Winnetka, attended New Trier High School, followed by Princeton University. He received a Masters degree in Business from Northwestern University. The following four years were spent as a production engineer for RTE Corporation in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He then returned to Northwestern for a Doctorate Degree, followed by a teaching position at Michigan State University, where he became an Associate Professor of Management for 6 years.

He and his family moved to Bethlehem in 1972 where he began teaching at Lehigh University. He founded the Small Business Development Center at the University which was responsible for assisting thousands of small businesses in the Lehigh Valley. (The SBDC has fostered experiential learning opportunities for top tier Lehigh students and businesses for over 45 years). John retired from Lehigh in 2002.

John was a man of profound faith and dedication to his family and community. He was on the board of directors for New Bethany Ministries, and an officer at First Presbyterian Church. He loved to read and was an avid Cribbage player.

John is survived by his wife of 67 years, Jan, his two sons, Steve and Greg, their wives Maggie and Meg, and grandchildren, CJ, Cathleen, Dylan, Jack, Daniel, and Krista.

A celebration of John's life will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem on Saturday, July 20 at 3 pm.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to New Bethany at 333 W. Fourth Street, Bethlehem PA 18015.