WILMINGTON — “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – II Timothy 4:7
Lawrence Arthur Bonney, often referred to as Larry, Lar, Pops, Papa, Uncle Larry, and Honey, entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior on January 27, 2026. He passed away at the age of 81. Larry always said that he wanted to “go” doing something he loved. Two weeks after suffering a heart attack on the pickleball court, complications led to him being called to his heavenly home.
Larry was born to Everard Arthur Bonney (deceased) and Jean Peeling Bonney (deceased) on May 4, 1944 in Burbank,California. He grew up in Maryland and Massachusetts with his older brother Richard Allen Bonney and younger sister Dale Anne Tarantino (deceased in 2019). Growing up he learned a love for sports. As a natural athlete, he excelled in sports throughout his entire life and learned the importance of teamwork. At an early age, he also learned the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He was a wonderful disciple of the Lord and shared his love of Christ through various outlets including, but not limited to, churches, youth groups, and Young Life Ministries.
A five-sport athlete at Westminster College (inducted into the Titan Sports Hall of Fame in 2017), Larry found that the most meaningful part of his college experience had little to do with athletics and everything to do with the people that he met. It was there that he met the love of his life, Diane Mylting. Larry and Diane were married on June 17, 1967, and began their married life in Baltimore, Maryland, where they both worked as teachers and served as Young Life Club leaders. Larry’s impact in the classroom did not go unnoticed. One of his student’s fathers—a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation—was so impressed by Larry’s teaching and leadership that he recruited him to the Bureau. In 1970, Larry began his career as a Special Agent with the FBI.
His early career in the FBI took him to London…Kentucky. This is where he and Diane expanded their family by welcoming their first son, Douglas Arthur Bonney. The FBI then took Larry and family from London, Kentucky to Detroit, Michigan. While there God called to Larry in the form of an old college friend who was a pastor at a church in Tustin, California. This friend offered Larry a job as a Lay Minister and Youth Director at Tustin Presbyterian Church. After much prayer, Larry put his law enforcement career on hold, gathered up his family, and left chilly Detroit for sunny California.
In California, Larry and Diane welcomed two more sons to the family, Kurtis Emil Bonney and David Lawrence Bonney. Soon thereafter, God called Larry back into law enforcement. He joined the Irvine Police Department, then he was hired as an investigator for the Orange County District Attorney’s office. All the while Larry was re-applying for a chance to return to the FBI. Swerving from law enforcement and taking a job with a development and construction company, Larry thought his path back to the FBI may be over. Then God intervened again—a couple of old FBI colleagues and the head of FBI New Agent Hiring walked into a Washington D.C. bar, and Larry’s name came up, and long story short, he was accepted back into the FBI. Assigned to the Los Angeles field office, then Santa Ana, Larry and Diane yearned to be back on the east coast. Then God knocked again—this time in the form of a try-out for a new FBI tactical team, the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), which ultimately led him and the family to Dumfries, Virginia.
While living in Virginia, Larry and Diane became deeply involved in local Young Life Ministries. Larry joined HRT and became part of the first generation of operators on the team. His FBI career alone could fill a Hollywood movie. In fact, Hollywood came to him. While The Silence of the Lambs was being filmed on the campus of the FBI Academy in Quantico, Larry was there serving as the head of the New Agent Training Unit. He was tasked with training the film’s lead actress, Jodie Foster, on how to look and act like an FBI agent. His work impressed the film’s director, earning Larry a small role in the movie as an “FBI Instructor.” Although this performance did not result in an Oscar nomination, Larry soon felt called by God to take his next step. Around this time, a position opened for a Supervisory Senior Resident Agent (SSRA) of the Wilmington, North Carolina FBI field office. Wilmington was already familiar to the family—son Doug had graduated from college there, son Kurt was currently attending, and son Dave would soon follow. Larry applied for the position and was selected.
In Wilmington, North Carolina, Larry and Diane again became very active in their church and the local Young Life Ministry. Larry retired from the FBI in 2000 with 25 years of service and pursued several “retirement jobs” to include, but not be limited to, a part-time Criminal Justice Professor at UNCW, Security for the Lead Counsel of the Seminole Indian Tribe, the Director of the Missing Children Division of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and even a substitute teacher at Cape Fear Academy. Wilmington offered the perfect place for Larry to enjoy full retirement. Good golf, good pickleball, good beaches, good churches, good ministries, and good friends. This would be his final earthly home.
“God can pour on His blessings in astonishing ways” – II Corinthians 9:8
Larry is survived by his wife Diane Bonney; brother Richard (Dick) Bonney and his wife Grace Bonney; son Doug Bonney (Melbourne Beach, FL), his wife Michelle Bonney and sons Davis, Dean, Duncan, and Devon; son Kurt Bonney (Southport, NC), his wife Emily Bonney and sons Ethan and Lucas; and son Dave Bonney (Wilmington, NC), his wife Amy Bonney and daughters Lucy and Molly; Brothers-in-law Don Dougald and his wife Karen Dougald, Norm Bottoms and his wife Lauren Bottoms; and Nephews Scott Dougald, Craig Dougald, Bruce Dougald, Lance Dougald, Scott Bonney; Nieces Debbie (Bonney) Hartsfield, Allison (Bottoms) Hoffman and Emily (Bottoms) Dunlevy, and many more wonderful relatives.
Thank you on behalf of the family. The wide network of family and friends that we have been blessed with has given us comfort throughout Larry’s courageous battle with Alzheimer’s and his other health issues. We have appreciated all of the support that you have shown us through your visits, meals, encouragement, and prayers.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” – Revelation 21:4
