Janice L. Bonner

Janice L. Bonner, 84, of Farmington, CT died on October 16, 2020 at Hartford Hospital after a two month struggle with bile duct cancer. Jan was born in Oshkosh, WI the younger daughter of John F. Labudde and Jennie Mae Kellett. She graduated from Oshkosh High School, Class of 1954 and received her RN from the School of Nursing at Passavant Memorial Hospital in Chicago where she met Dr. Robert H. Bonner and the two of them married in 1956. Bob became a flight surgeon in the Air Force and the couple and their growing family moved from one assignment to another throughout the world: Hawaii, Thailand, Okinawa, Turkey and England interspersed with various stateside assignments. Their final assignment was Texas where they built a home in Universal City. Bob died in 2003 and in 2014 Jan attended a High School reunion where she re-connected with Harry Meyer, her steady boyfriend for all three years of junior high school. Correspondence followed by daily e-mails followed by Skype sessions and finally in-person visits to UC and Farmington convinced the couple to marry which they did in August, 2016 and located permanently in Farmington. Jan was a warm and caring person whose central focus was loving all the members of her family unconditionally. She cross-stitched a quilt memorializing the birth of each of her grand and great grand children as well as Christmas stockings for each of them. She looked forward to receiving Facebook and Instagram pictures of their doings. Jan also was an excellent cook who delighted in trying new recipes, especially desserts for the “Sunday Night Group” of special friends. She was an avid reader, historical fiction being her favorite subject, and was a member of the Monday Reading Club. Until Covid Jan went to the gym almost daily. At age 80 she learned to kayak and thoroughly enjoyed paddling the waters of CT. She and her husband delivered Meals on Wheels several times a month. Jan had an amazing memory, a quick wit and a great sense of humor all of which made her a wonderful story-teller. Living in so many places throughout the world she accumulated a boundless supply of stories which her listeners delighted in hearing. In Universal City she was a devoted communicant at St. Matthew’s Church and in West Hartford at St. James’s Church. Their marriage at age 80 brought new meaning to the lives of both Jan and Harry. They were almost inseparable, holding hands wherever they went, and were most thankful for the happiness that their life together had brought them. Jan is survived by her husband, by daughters, Shelia Dulevitz, Kaki (Rob) Campbell, and Elizabeth (Vincenzo) Ruggiero, by son Michael Bonner, by eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren and by her well-loved French bulldog Mona. She also is survived by her cousin, Karen Klenke, her niece Gayle Kahler and her nephew Jay Budai. She was predeceased by her parents and her sister Jodi Budai. At a private graveside service, Jan’s ashes will be interred in part in the Memorial Garden at St. James’s Church West Hartford, CT and in part in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX. If you wish to make a gift in Jan’s memory please consider St. Matthew’s Church, 810 Kitty Hawk Rd., PO Box 2337, Universal City, TX 78148, Wreathes Across America, St. James’s Church, 19 Walden St., West Hartford, CT 06107 or a charity of your choice.