Michael Clayton "Mike" Bond

Michael Clayton Bond, 56, passed away on November 20, 2023 at Singing River Hospital in Gulfport. He was born on March 16, 1967 in Gulfport, the oldest of two sons to Delma O. and Martha Faye (Gaines) Bond. He grew up in Saucier and came to be known by most everyone as Mike. He enjoyed everything outdoors, just as most all Southern boys. Mike also liked to play baseball, playing in youth leagues and school through the years. When he decided he'd had enough education, Mike went to work driving for Cotton Fore, well before he even had a drivers license. Mike was a born driver, and that's pretty much what he did his entire life. He has driven for numerous owners, including W.C. Fore, Necaise Bros., Pat Fore, Johnny Cuevas, and more before deciding to become an owner/operator. He and Patricia formed Southern Trucking Express, Inc., working for several years over the highways and byways of the country, even making it into Canada a few times. He was the driver, safety coordinator, inspector, and all those other titles that come with owning a business, while Patricia took photos and logged all the miles they worked together. He was well-known to his fellow truckers as "Hobo", answering to that handle during his career. In their spare time, Mike and Patricia enjoyed riding the Harley as much as they possibly could. They were active members of the Gulf Coast Southern Cruisers, participating in many events and rides until his health became an issue. Mike continued to enjoy fishing, hunting, and just getting out and riding. He and Patricia would get in the pickup with friends and just ride...sometimes with a destination, but mostly just wherever the road took them. That was really his only other hobby, aside from his truck and Harley of course. He is remembered lovingly as Patricia's "Little Mean Ass", which is what they called each other. They were rarely apart for the 26 odd years they were together. It would have been more, but she made him chase and court her for seven years, which might be why he called her his "LMA". They loved each other as they shared life together along the way. He was definitely a one-of-a-kind guy who will be forever loved and missed by all whose life he touched. Mike was preceded by his father, Delma Bond, and his grandparents, Delma and Evelyn Bond, Sr., and Mack Gaines. Left to cherish his memories are: his loving "LMA" of a wife, Patricia; his mother Martha Bond, his brother Chris Bond, and his grandmother Edith Gaines, all of Saucier, his aunts, Wanda (Joe) Melvin of Gulfport and Mary Alice Myers, also of Saucier, along with his four-pawed daughter that he loved almost as much as Patricia, "Sassy Fras" Bond. Mike leaves a long list of extended family, close friends, and fellow-truckers across the country, all of whom will miss him dearly. Funeral services will be Saturday, Nov. 25th at Trinity Funeral Services in McHenry. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM, followed by a chapel service at 1:00 PM, with Bro. Nathan Seal officiating. Afterward, Mike will be laid to rest in the family plot in the Saucier Community Cemetery. Trinity Funeral Services is honored to serve the Bond family in their time of need and asks that you remember them in your thoughts and prayers through the days ahead.