Former Sheriff Jesse Dee Bonner died on December 21,2023 at 89. He was born December 10,1934 in Cleveland, Miss.
He attended Clarksdale schools graduating Clarksdale High School in 1954 then attended Mississippi State. In 1961 he was Honorably Discharged from the National Guard where he trained as a Sharpshooter.
Jesse started his career in public service with the Clarksdale Police Department and then became a Deputy, Constable and Corner for the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department. He was promoted to Chief Deputy in 1968 serving under Sheriff Thomas S. Hopkins. Jesse was elected Sheriff of Coahoma County in 1980 serving two terms.
He went on to serve the county working for the Board of Supervisors maintaining county buildings and finishing his career in 2012 working for the United States Postal Service.
Jesse is preceded in death by his wife of 52 years Susan Stewart Bonner, his father Jesse S. Bonner and mother Birdie Gore Bonner.
He is survived by cousins John D. Partridge (Janine Sine) of Coldwater MS, Nancy Blomquist (Brent) of Mtn. Home AR and Larry Johnson (Bettye) of Memphis TN and numerous other relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Meredith Nowell Funeral Home.
In Lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be sent to Clarksdale Care Station or CARES Clarksdale Animal Shelter.
