"Maverick" Leslie Maverick David Bonham

Born June 22, 1956 in Toronto, ON - Died Sept. 10, 2026 in Calgary, AB

Leslie came from a large family. Ralph and Kathleen (née Riach) Bonham had 8 children: Christine, Leslie, Paul, Mark, Jonathan, Andrew, Jennifer and Matthew. As the second child, he saw his family grow ever larger. One wonders how that was for a person who later valued much solitude and quietness. Sometime during his growing up years, his father left the family and his mother remarried. When Les finished school, he also left. For the first few years, he made a living in the hospitality industry. 

Then, in his early 20’s, he fell in love with Karen Burgess. The break-up of the relationship caused him great pain. It was then, “at 24 or 25, [he] chose to put [his] faith in Jesus Christ, and that choice has made all the difference.” 

In 1981, he attended Mount Carmel Bible School in Edmonton. There he met Heather Robertson and they fell in love and were married that same year. For a short while he served as a deacon in the Capilano Christian Assembly. Then, in 1982, the couple moved to Ontario to be closer to their families, eventually ending up in beautiful Haliburton. They worshipped at Lakeside Baptist Church and raised their 3 sons: Jeffrey, Nathan and Stephen. Les apprenticed as a carpenter and worked for 12 years in the area and abroad, including Germany where he sought to follow in the footsteps of the master journeyman carpenters.. Carpentry became his ticket to see the world and he would often leave without notice and come back after awhile. Eventually the sudden absences took their toll on the family and he moved west, alone. 

He worked as a finish carpenter but also took on other related jobs in many places in western Canada. He even built dwellings in Kyrgyzstan, in the manner of the locals. After almost a decade, he reconnected with Karen and a flame was rekindled. They married in 2010, but sadly this relationship once more broke apart, ending in divorce in 2017. 

In 2016, Les moved to Charlottetown to care for his mother in her last year so that she could stay in her own home. He saw his three youngest siblings there when they came to visit her. After she died, he spent a few weeks in Tweed with his brother Matt and his family, and his nieces and nephews enjoyed getting to know him. 

He left to volunteer with WWOOF in a vineyard and on organic farms with sheep, chickens, bees in Ontario, Alberta and BC. In Duncan, on Vancouver Island, he was exposed to a biodynamic farm, anthroposophy and The Christian Community’s communion service, called the Consecration of the Human Being, which really spoke to him. His family did not hear from him. 

Just prior to the outbreak of Covid in 2019, Leslie moved to Nanton in southern Alberta to live in the basement apartment of a friend from one of his anthroposophical study groups. He decided to devote his time and attention to deepening his faith. 

Les had a deep desire for a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and a better understanding of himself and this led him to further studies in anthroposophy and the writings of Rudolf Steiner and also the writings and readings of Edgar Cayce. Through reading books and attending online study groups, he discovered new insights into the bible and God that he loved discussing with his online friends. When a new affiliate of The Christian Community was initiated in Calgary, he wanted to support it, and even in retirement, considered going to seminary in Toronto to learn more.

Life in Nanton for him meant a simple daily rhythm of meditating, praying, studying, preparing and eating meals, reading, watching movies, walking, and gardening. He adopted the name “Maverick” as his online name and later his preferred name because it reflected his independent thinking and desire to blaze his own trail. He seemed quite content to be a hermit, living in solitude. 

On Remembrance Day in 2023, he suffered a massive stroke on the left side of his brain. His landlady friend discovered him after she noticed that he was not following his regular daily routine. He was rushed to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary by helicopter. Then, and in the following days when he had sepsis and double pneumonia, he came very close to dying but the medical teams pulled him through. Much later, he communicated that he felt that he had been wrenched away from heaven, much to his dismay. 

Many people prayed for him, some on their own, like his church friends and some as a group, like the Cayce group which met weekly on zoom for a year to pray for him for an hour. Those who lived in Calgary visited him; the family lived too far away. 

Initially Maverick could not walk, talk, sit up, stand or swallow. He survived amazing odds and miraculously, learned to walk again and regained normal functioning except for the use of his right hand and speech. While he could understand speech and read words, he had a form of expressive aphasia, which means that he had great difficulty transforming his thoughts into coherent words in verbal or written form, although every once in a while he would say a sentence or two very clearly. In addition, he constantly suffered from central post-stroke pain, especially at night. 

As a result of the stroke, this formerly independent spirit was now dependent on others for so much. 

He moved into a beautiful studio apartment in Chartwell’s Fountains of Mission where he enjoyed delicious meals and was treated well by the caring staff and other residents. He especially appreciated those who took the time to try to understand him. Friends from his church community loved and supported him with companionship, accompaniment, advocacy and laughter. Despite his limitations, he was quite content to spend his days listening to the radio, watching movies, thinking, praying and meditating and enjoying good food. 

Shortly before his stroke, he wrote: 

"I try to prioritize meditation - it has to do with the Biblical statement (Isaiah 55:9) that says: "“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts [God speaking]." I've seen so many times where my lower thoughts have led to making a mess of my life, and I've committed to only using my energy now to be active in God's "higher ways". In order to do those higher ways, I know I need God's higher thoughts as my reasoning, and my morning meditation is my opportunity to shape the rest of my day by becoming filled with God's higher thoughts. …. The rest of my day, including study, is truly shaped by those thoughts - I TRUST (emphasis on trust) that as I open myself to God's thoughts, that the rest of me will follow suit, and that God will have given me the thoughts I need to be active in God's higher ways."

 Perhaps this is why, with the exception of rare moments of frustration and anger, he demonstrated extraordinary patience, perseverance, persistence, punctuality, acceptance, gratitude, courage, courtesy, kindness, gentleness, good humour, love and faith, mostly without speaking. He was inspiring. 

During the last years of his life, Maverick was blessed with profound spiritual experiences which he could only partially communicate but it was clear that he longed to return to be with God “up there”. Recently, Heather talked to him about Jesus preparing a place for those who believe and trust in Him. Eventually all of Maverick’s efforts and energy went into preparing for his death; he did not want to be distracted by therapies or other activities. He stopped taking all meds and cardiopulmonary disease and congestive heart failure led to his death which was his longed-for gateway to a better life. 

Leslie/Maverick was predeceased by his parents and two siblings, Christine and Jonathan, and is survived by his three sons, his former wives, five siblings, their families, and his friends. He will be missed!

Cremation has taken place at Foothills Hospital. At his request, no services will be held.