Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Edward Horne 3rd BONSALL
Edward H. Bonsall 3d, 64, a real-estate executive and a decorated veteran, died Saturday of cancer at his home in Chestnut Hill, where he lived for the last 30 years.
Mr. Bonsall, who was wounded twice within six months during the Korean War, received more than 20 decorations and medals during his 22 years of active duty in the Army.
He was wounded the first time on May 21, 1953, when he was leading a patrol in Korea with Company C, 17th Infantry Regiment. He was treated at a field hospital and quickly sent back into action.
He was hurt more seriously on July 9, in the battle for Porkchop Hill. Hit by shrapnel from an exploding bomb, he suffered shoulder, elbow, knee and wrist injuries and spent the following nine months recovering in hospitals in Japan and Valley Forge.
In Vietnam, he was in Army intelligence, responsible for determining where and when the enemy forces would attack. He was wounded again in Vietnam, but not seriously, said his son, Richard S.
Mr. Bonsall, a member of the National Rifle Association and an expert marksman, had joined the Pennsylvania National Guard in 1948 while a student at the Hill School in Pottstown.
At the University of Pennsylvania, he trained with the guard's Company A, 111th Infantry Regiment. In 1951, he took a leave from the university to enter the Army. He attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and was commissioned in July 1952.
Among the many medals he earned in his service career were the Legion of Merit, Bronze Stars for valor, and two Purple Hearts with oak-leaf clusters. He also won several foreign decorations.
He finished his work for his undergraduate degree on a part-time basis sometime between the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He studied for his master of business administration degree, again at Penn, after he retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 1973.
In 1975, Mr. Bonsall joined the Jackson-Cross real-estate firm as property manager. In the following years, he worked his way up to supervisor of all office properties managed by the firm in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
When he retired last January, he was senior vice president and director.
He was a member of the Philadelphia Board of Realtors and the American Management Association.
He enjoyed fishing, gardening and studying genealogy.
He was a former vice chairman of the board at Chestnut Hill Academy and former councillor of the Colonial Society of Pennsylvania. He was a former member of the Union League, the Rittenhouse Club, the Philadelphia Cricket Club, the Order of Mensa and Zeta Psi.
Besides his son, he is survived by his wife, Patricia Ziegler Bonsall; daughters, Gwen Donnon, Katherine Peca and Suzanne Feingold; six grandchildren; and a sister.
A memorial service will be held Friday at 3 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Chestnut Hill. He will be buried with full military honors at a private service at Arlington National Cemetery.
| HOME | EMAIL | SURNAMES |
Return to The Pennocks of Primitive Hall website.
The information in this database may contain errors. If you find any questionable data, or if you have something to add my findings, please feel free to e-mail me by clicking on the "E-MAIL" link above. Thank you!
Page built by Gedpage Version 2.21 ©2009 on 07 July 2020