Jackson L. “Jack” Bonus

While Jackson L. “Jack“ Bonus may be gone, his name still resonates in the Butler County business community. In fact, you can still find it if you drive by North Main Street in Zelienople. Bonus’ self-owned insurance company, Jack L. Bonus Insurance, has operated since 1979 and is still active and thriving today.

Bonus’ entry into the insurance business was not easy by any means. He entered California State University in the fall of 1967, becoming the first in his family to enter college.

Unfortunately, Bonus could not afford tuition on his own, forcing him to take up several odd jobs.

“He worked at gas stations, drove an ambulance, ran a small beauty salon and then ran a bakery, sleeping on flour sacks and going to class with arms stained red from the cherry pie filling he handled to bake pies at 4 a.m. before class,” Jennifer Harper, Bonus’ daughter, said.

Eventually, he took a job selling men’s suits at a J.C. Penney. It was there where he excelled, picking up more commissions than any other salesman. He found his niche in selling upscale clothing for a while, and went on to manage the Lisle T. Miller clothing store in Beaver Falls.

But it wasn’t long before he made the transition from selling suits to selling insurance.

“When Beaver Valley Mall was under construction, Jack, sensing the impact it would bring to small clothing stores like his, made the leap into insurance,” Harper said.

After finding success as a salesman for Prudential, Bonus branched out and founded his own insurance company in 1979, which still operates to this day.

“Jack truly loved his work and was actively engaged in day-to-day operations up until the week prior to his passing,” Harper said. “Talk to any of the employees of Jack L Bonus Insurance, and they all say the same thing, ‘He was the best boss I ever had!'”

Also notable was Bonus’ three uninterrupted decades as a member of the Zelienople Airport Authority, the board overseeing the small municipal airport, located nearby in Beaver County.

Throughout Bonus’ tenure, the airport underwent significant improvements to bring the airport into the 21st century, including the acquisition of modern navigation and emergency equipment and construction of new hangars, as well as attaching the airport to the city’s sewage system.

“Jack was unwaveringly vocal that this airport should be the best it can be, and do everything an airport can do to encourage growth in the community,” Harper said. “The airport went from being a very small airport that was not modernized ... to an airport that was a standout for safety standards.”

For his efforts, Bonus was continually re-elected to the airport authority, even as the rest of the group saw continuous turnover over the past three decades.

Whenever Bonus wasn’t hard at work in the insurance business, he could be found enjoying the great outdoors, whether it be hunting or fishing, a friend said.

“We hunted ruffed grouse and woodcock in Pennsylvania and New Brunswick,” lifelong friend Dan Williams said. “There was never a dull moment with Jack. He would often offer to drive and then we would hang on for dear life at 90 miles per hour pulling a trailer with gear to New Brunswick. The memories that Jack and I made over 35 years, I will cherish for my lifetime.”

Bonus is survived by his daughter Jennifer, as well as his sister Sandra Redd, grandsons Robert and Devin Fyock, and numerous nieces and nephews.