Linda Lee (Disbrow) Bond-Nelson, a North Plainfield resident since 1980, a longtime member of the North Plainfield Board of Education and the New Jersey School Boards Association’s 2010-2011 School Board Member of the Year, died Monday, Dec. 19, 2022.
As a summa cum laude graduate of Kean University, she was a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. She worked for more than 11 years at Atlantic Mutual Insurance Companies in Madison, New Jersey, retiring in 2012 after 13 years as operations manager in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Drew University, Madison.
She was elected to nine terms on the North Plainfield board, serving from 1992 until 2019, and held leadership roles as vice president or president for 23 years. She earned the designations of Master Board Member and Certified Board Leader from the NJSBA. In addition to being named the Association’s School Board Member of the Year, she was also recognized as a Somerset County Woman of the Year in Education in 2010.
One of her biggest challenges as a board member was to assist in getting a districtwide building referendum passed in a community that had a history of limited ratables, high taxes, and failed budgets. The $32 million building project passed on its fifth attempt.
In addition to her service as vice president and president on her local board, she chaired and/or served at some point on all of the board’s committees: Curriculum, Negotiations, Finance and Facilities, Policy, Communication and Evaluation/Personnel. Moreover, she was a former second vice president of Somerset County School Boards Association and an orientation trainer as well as an NJSBA Workshop volunteer.
She was predeceased by her parents, William S. and Ottilie S. Disbrow of Watchung. She is survived by family members Stephen and Donna Bond-Nelson and their children Kate and Christopher of Berkeley Heights; and Lisa Bond-Nelson and her son Andrew of Moraga, California.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Paul Ippolito Berkeley Memorial. To send condolences, please visit her obituary.
A memorial gathering will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center.
