Southern Illinois University System - Edwardsville
07/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/08/2026 12:45
Wilma Jene Bond, 1939-2026; Executive Assistant to the President
Wilma Jene Bond, 1939-2026; Executive Assistant to the President
July 8, 2026, 1:00 PM
Wilma Jene Bond, administrator, advisor and keeper of campus history for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville died on Tuesday, June 23. Her career spanned more than three decades during some of SIUE's most formative years. She was 86.
Bond joined SIUE in 1966 as executive assistant to President John S. Rendleman, JD, during a pivotal period in which the Edwardsville campus was establishing autonomy within the Southern Illinois University System. Over the course of her career, she worked with six University chancellors and presidents and helped plan and carry out major SIUE events, including commencements and the famous Mississippi River Festival.
Her daughter, Julie Bond, described her mother as a devoted professional who embraced the University and its people wholeheartedly.
"My mother was a very dedicated and passionate professional. She has often been described as a force," said Bond. "She loved everything about the University and all that it offered. Our lives, the faculty, the students and the community were all enriched, and she loved being a part of its growth and influence. I have many fond and happy childhood memories of friends, classes, events, concerts and time spent at SIUE with her."
Bond's reputation paired her warmth and loyalty with exceptional professionalism. A former staff member once recalled, "When you walked into Wilma Jene's office, you better have walked in 'correct.'"
In addition to her work in the President and Chancellor Offices, Bond served for several years on the SIUE Credit Union Board. In 1996, she became assistant executive director of the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois as an "executive on loan" arrangement when it was housed on campus. Bond retired from the University in 1999.
Her service continued well beyond retirement. Bond held leadership and volunteer roles with the Edwardsville Mayor's Beautification and Tree Commission, American Cancer Society, Colonial Benjamin Stephenson House, Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Faith in Action, Grandview Homeowners Association and Madison County Arts Council. She chaired the Green Thumb Committee for six years, served six years as president of the Grandview Homeowners Association, and received the Rotary Paul Harris Award for community service.
She also maintained longtime memberships in Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Newcomers & Neighbors and the League of Women Voters.
Known affectionately as "GB," Bond treasured her family above all else. Her passions also included gardening and nature, travel, reading, cooking, volunteerism, antiques, and old lace. Her kitchen was remembered as a place of joy, hospitality, and connection.
Bond is survived by her husband, Jack Butler; daughter, Julie Ann Bond; grandchildren, Lauren Bond (Maryann) Brickey and Jacob Bond Mudge; stepchildren, John (Kathleen) Butler, Tom Butler, and Anne Herrin; six step-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Edwardsville Arts Center. Additional information is available in Bond's family obituary through Weber & Rodney Funeral Home.
SIU Board of Trustees member and SIUE alumnus John Simmons remembered Bond as a woman of quiet authority, deep institutional knowledge and extraordinary foresight. Simmons shared the following remembrance for Wilma Jene and her family:
"I first met Wilma Jene Bond in 1989, though in hindsight I should have known her long before. My Uncle Bill was married to a wonderful woman we all called Aunt Lettie, one of my favorites. It wasn't until years later that I learned Wilma Jene and Aunt Lettie were sisters. The obituary confirms it-Lettie Simmons was her beloved sibling. That connection makes this loss feel even closer to home.
"In 1989, I was serving as president of the SIUE Student Body. One of the great privileges of that role was a weekly meeting with the University President-a position now known as chancellor-who at the time was Earl Lazerson. Wilma Jene Bond was President Lazerson's executive assistant, and I would say without hesitation: She kind of ran the University.
"It took me a little time to fully appreciate that. I'd arrive early for my meetings with President Lazerson and find myself at Wilma Jene's desk, waiting. I quickly learned that time with her was not time to waste. I would pick her brain about SIUE, its history, its people, its direction-and she knew everything. She had been there since the Chancellor's Office was first established in 1966, and she carried that institutional knowledge with grace and quiet authority.
"Then I would go in to meet with President Lazerson. More than once, when I walked out of that meeting, usually within an hour, Wilma Jene would have something waiting for me: a book, an article, a resource connected to whatever we had been talking about before I went in. She had listened, she had thought ahead and she had acted. That was Wilma Jene.
"When I left SIUE in 1991, we stayed in touch. Knowing her gave my relationship with Aunt Lettie's children-my cousins-a whole new dimension. She was a classy, deeply respected woman and a true ambassador of SIUE. I am grateful I knew her."
-John Simmons, SIU Trustee
Photo: Wilma Jene Bond, courtesy of Weber & Rodney Funeral Home. SIUE legacy photos provided by Julie Bond.
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