Obituary of Roger Bone

John Roger Bone, 77, of Venice, Florida, passed away peacefully at his home.

An avid FSU fan since elementary school in Tallahassee, Roger went to his first FSU football games while his mother was earning her master’s degree at FSU in the 1950’s. The family then moved to Panama City, where Roger went to Jinks Junior High School and graduated from Bay High School. Always enamored with learning new things, he attended Gulf Coast Community College and then finished his undergrad and law degrees at Florida State University.

He joined Army ROTC in college and had a distinguished career in the Army as a JAG officer. He was stationed in Europe and enjoyed traveling to many places while he was there. He enjoyed hosting his mother and nieces, as well as other friends.

After finishing his Army tours, he worked for the State Attorney’s Office in Bradenton, later moving to private law practice for many years. He was very involved in the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Bradenton Yacht Club where he was Fleet Captain of Sail and was on the House Committee when the new building was built in the late 1980’s. He loved his sailboat, the Southern Eagle, and raced it often in the summer and winter racing series.

Later he earned a masters’ degree from USF and began to teach at Venice High School, where he taught for 21 years and continued teaching until he passed away. He really enjoyed his years at Venice High School and loved the interaction with the students and other faculty. He was so proud of his students and wanted to help them have a big worldview. He sponsored the Philosophy Club as well.

He loved practical jokes and his playing of the Chicken Dance at his students’ birthdays is legendary. His love for life was evident in his many adventures. He loved to tell stories of his travels, sailing adventures, and so many other epic tales. His personality shone through in anything he did, and he had a huge heart. He truly kept us laughing.

He is survived by his sister, Sally Fay; two nieces, Cathy McIntosh and Susan Flowers (Ed); two grand nephews Brian and Connor McIntosh and a grand niece Rachel McIntosh.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to some of Roger’s favorite charities: Doctors Without Borders, the Salvation Army or the Boys And Girls Club of Manatee County.

Two celebrations of life are planned for November 11, 2023. First is at 1:30pm at Farley Funeral Home, 265 Nokomis Ave S, Venice, FL 34285. The second is at 6:30 pm the same day at Bradenton Yacht Club, 4307 13th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221.