Numbering and bullets in Word docs keep disappearing

I realize this is an old thread that somehow surfaced again. 

Templates stored on SharePoint do not act the same as when stored on a computer.

Bullets and numbering seem to often get broken when the document is edited in the online app. Try to only have it edited in the desktop application.

Bullets and numbering, to be stable, must be tied to styles as set forth in How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Ribbon Versions of Word by Shauna Kelly. See also Automatic Numbering in Word - my 4-page pdf.