Obituary for Gary Inklebarger
Gary Allen Inklebarger, age 80, of Blair, Oklahoma, passed away on Saturday, 24 January 2026, at his niece's residence in Morning Sun, Iowa.
Gary was born in Altus, Oklahoma on 30 August 1945, as the eldest of two children born to Solen and Lona (Allen) Inklebarger. Growing up between Blair and the family's 300+ acre homestead northwest of Warren, he attended and graduated from Blair High School in 1964. During his adolescence, he held a part-time job, working alongside his mother at the Quartz Mountain Resort at Lake Altus-Lugert and, later in life, liked to reminisce about the many guests he met, with his favorite being the comedian Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (aka Miss Minnie Pearl). He attended one semester at Western Oklahoma State College before entering the workforce as a school bus driver and then a delivery driver for Pepsi, where he developed a life-long taste for their sweet product. In 1982, Gary began working as a guard at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in Granite and eventually was promoted to unit manager, where he served as a liaison between inmates and prison administrators. Gary retired from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in 2007.Gary married the love of his life, Viola Odessa "Bonnie" (Munden) Bonomelli, on 11 April 1993 in Altus, Oklahoma. Happily married for over 20 years, their marriage reflected the values of true love, steadfast commitment, and absolute devotion to each other through God's everlasting grace. In his spare time, Gary enjoyed spending time on the homestead and walking along the Salt Fork branch that runs through the property. During his early years, he would run trot lines and host family catfish fries over holiday weekends. During cooler months, Gary enjoyed hunting, especially white-tail deer. Later in life, Gary developed a sense of "gold fever" and longed to pan for gold in Alaska. He was a life member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and was adamant about teaching and advocating hunter and gun safety; he was also a member of the Gold Prospectors Association of America. For decades until 1993, he built several race cars (mostly late stock models) with his best friend, Bobby Gordon. Together they frequently raced at Southwest Oklahoma tracks to include Quartz Mountain, Martha, and Altus. When he could no longer race himself, he enjoyed watching from the grandstands, a tradition he maintained even after moving to Iowa in 2023. Locally, his favorite Southeast Iowa driver was Caleb Giese (#20C), who he enjoyed cheering on at the CJ Speedway.
A special thank you to Matt and Micah Giese, who opened their home to Uncle Gary to celebrate the holidays after relocating to Iowa and having never left Oklahoma; their family made him feel welcomed and cherished. Gary always looked forward to his favorite meals prepared by the ladies at both the Bronco Barn (Blair) and Dairy Barn (Morning Sun), yet the ones he savored most during his last years were the homemade meals prepared by his neighbor, Kelse Truitt.
Gary was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, and one sister, Frankie (Inklebarger) Rambo. He is survived by three children - John Bonomelli and his wife Mary (Campbell) of Springhill, Tennessee; James "JimBo" Bonomelli of Hominy, Oklahoma; Terri (Bonomelli) Slavings and husband Lonnie of Graham, Texas; three granddaughters - Shelby Campbell of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Annie (Slavings) Vroman and husband Philip of Waxahachie, Texas; and Kaitlyn "Kat" Slavings of Graham, Texas; his niece, Misty Rambo of Morning Sun, Iowa; his life-long best friend Robert "Bobby" Gordon, godson Steven Gordon, dear friends Karma Gordon and daughter MaKayla Gordon of Cache, Oklahoma; and many other cousins and friends.
A memorial service will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 27, 2026 at Lowell - Tims Funeral Home Chapel. Gary will be laid to rest next to his wife Bonnie Inklebarger at Blair Cemetery, Blair, Oklahoma.
Local services are under the direction of Lowell - Tims Funeral Home and Crematory.
To send flowers in memory of Gary Inklebarger, visit the Tribute Store.
Previous Events
Celebration Of Life
Friday
27
Mar
10:00 AM
Lowell-Tims Chapel
1100 East Tamarack Road
Altus, OK 73521
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