A memorial service for Gay Lynn Bond, 76, will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Dr., Bossier City, Louisiana. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Officiating the service will be Clint Davis and Dr. Torin Sanders.
Gay Lynn was born on June 16, 1949, to Raymond L. Bond and Lena McNeely Bond in Shreveport, Louisiana, and passed away on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Gay Lynn was a proud graduate of Airline High School in Bossier City, Louisiana. She went on to earn both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, beginning a lifelong career in service, education, and advocacy. She worked in several roles across Louisiana before moving to Arizona, where she served on Governor Babbitt’s staff and later worked with Children’s programs. Her dedication to helping others eventually brought her back to Louisiana, this time to New Orleans, where she served as a Hospital Administrator at Charity Hospital. She later directed the Children’s Bureau, a nonprofit focused on adoption services, and helped launch Project LAST with Dr. Sanders, a program created to support families affected by homicide.
During her time in New Orleans, she met her husband, Daniel R. Tavlin, and the two went on to share 41 years of marriage. When her parents’ health declined, Gay Lynn returned to Northwest Louisiana to be closer to family. She continued her commitment to education and community by teaching at Grambling State University from 1995 until her retirement in 2013. Throughout her life, Gay Lynn was known for her intelligence, compassion, and unwavering dedication to the people and communities she served.
Gay Lynn was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond L. Bond and Lena McNeely Bond, and her sister‑in‑law, Yvonne Benezch. Left to cherish her memory are her loving husband, Daniel R. Tavlin of Haughton, LA; her stepson, Daniel R. Tavlin, Jr., and his wife, Jackie, of Gulfport, MS. She is also survived by many of Dan’s brothers and sisters and their families, along with numerous cousins on both her father’s and mother’s sides.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to the local animal shelter at http://www.bossiercity.org> animal services.