Lila Bond died Monday, June 12, at her home in Almy. She was surrounded by her loving family.
Lila was born in Evanston, the daughter of Edward Lee Dahlman and Adda May Stacey Dahlman. She spent her childhood in the shadow of her father, Ed. She soon found that she loved the many things that nature had to offer and learned the art of trapping from her father.
She married Robert Bond on June 17, 1950. To this union were born three children, Edward (Eddie), Bonnie and Billy Bond. After the death of her husband, Robert, she went on to marry Marlin (Putt) Bond on Oct. 3, 1977. They had many adventures together as she continued with her trapping career.
For many years she worked at the county clerk’s office in Evanston and did her trapping after her day was done at the office. It was then that she decided to take on her true passion as a full-time trapper.
She was a natural at trapping, thanks to her dad, “Trapper Ed.” She was hired full-time by Broadbent Land and Livestock. She hunted around the sheep herds, looking for the coyotes that feed off the sheep and lambs.
The sheepherders were one of Lila’s main lines of communication. They would point her in the right direction for locating the coyotes. She made many friends among the herders. She worked for the Broadbents for nearly 50 years.
Her career took her to many places, including California, where she and Putt spent their winters. It was there that she made several lifelong friends.
Back in Wyoming, she knew the country like no other. She had the knack to know where those wise coyotes were hiding and being able to find their dens. She became known to many as “The Lady Trapper.” She had a song written about her by the award-winning entertainer and performer Brenn Hill. This song can be found on YouTube under “The Lady Trapper.”
Lila was a woman of many talents. She was an accomplished artist, with many paintings to her honor. After the loss of Putt, she wrote three books, the first being “The Lonely Life” (co-author, Denise Wheeler). She went on to write “White Sage and Moonshine.” Her last book was “Shadows of the Past.” She had a wonderful style of writing and put much time and research into her books.
She is survived by her daughter, Bonnie (Stephen) Bateman; and daughter-in-law, Tami Bond — both of Evanston. She has eight grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and four and a half great-great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Robert Bond and Marlin Bond; and her sons, Edward and Billy Bond.
A special thank you goes to Justin Bond (grandson) and Ruthie Dahlman for their wonderful care and love they gave Lila. Also, thanks to Cowboy Cares for making her comfortable in her final hours.
Cremation has taken place and her wish was for there to be no services. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.
Condolences may be made at www.crandallfh.com.
