Luis Bonilla

It is with heartfelt sorrow that we announce the passing of CW4 (R) Luis Bonilla, age 67, on Thursday Feb 11th, 2021.

Luis was born on August 21, 1953 in Batesville, Texas to Mariana and Candelario Bonilla, a respectable and caring son to his parents. He is the beloved husband of Sun Bonilla and a loving father to his children Jimmy, Sunny and Joey. Adored “Grandpa-pa” to his grandchildren, Miranda, Isaac, Kai'noah and Vera. Cherished brother to Maria Robles, Jesse Bonilla, Rosa Paredes, and his youngest sister, Elisa Bonilla. Elisa also passed away just minutes apart from Luis, although in different places, they both walked through heaven’s gates together.

Luis graduated from Uvalde High School and in 1971, at age 17, he enlisted in the US Army. During his career, he served seven years as an Airborne Ranger with the 1st Ranger Battalion (75th Ranger Regiment) based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA. He went on to deploy in 5 combat tours before eventually serving several years as a Property Book Officer for the 1st Cavalry Division on Ft Hood, TX. In 2003, after 31 years of service, “Chief” retired and spent time with his loving wife and family. God’s love was shown in Luis, a very compassionate and caring person that was determined to help everyone. He will always be remembered by the lives he touched, the laughs we had, and his work ethic. He made friends everywhere he went and many have shared that he was a great mentor and another "dad" to them.  He will be deeply missed but has left a profound imprint in all of our hearts. Luis is an honorable, respectable, and generous man. Our family hopes his legacy will continue as we remember the scripture "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27

His family and friends are invited to his viewing at Harper-Talasek Funeral Home, N. 38th St, Killeen, TX on Wednesday, February 24th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and funeral service on Thursday at 1:00pm followed by his burial at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery at 3:00pm.