Bonnie Jean Mooney

October 6, 1938 to March 6, 2022

Bonnie Mooney of Odessa, WA, passed away peacefully with family at her side Sunday morning, March 6, 2022. Bonnie was in excellent care at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center.

Bonnie was born in Burbank, CA, on October 6, 1938, to Celestino and Viva Mancinelli. She attended grade, middle and high school in Burbank, California, where she met the love of her life, Cliff Mooney.

Bonnie and Cliff moved from Southern California to Reno, NV, in 1960 and raised their family (Terry, Janie, Jim, Donna and Don) while owning and operating Mooney’s Auto Service.

Bonnie was a stranger to no one…and she balanced roles as a preschool teacher and bookkeeper in addition to being a full time mom and wife, active on the PTA and involved in many of her children’s’ activities. Bonnie and Cliff had a huge following of friends in the Reno area when it was decided they would follow their two oldest girls and make Odessa home in 1978.

In Odessa, it did not take Bonnie long to apply her amazing financial and customer service skills and rise through the supervision ranks at Sea First National Bank and later to operations officer of Wheatland Bank while continuing to raise children, Donna and Don.

In 1988, Cliff and Bonnie moved to Worley, ID, where Cliff took leadership roles as transportation manager at Plummer-Worley School District and later St. Maries School District. Bonnie quickly immersed herself in the Plummer-Worley and St. Maries communities including working as district clerk and librarian at Worley School District; administrator at Gray Insurance Services; roles at St. Joe Credit Union and US Bank; and librarian at Heyburn Elementary in St. Maries.

In 2002, Bonnie retired from the school district. Always staying busy, Bonnie worked as transportation dispatcher and enjoyed serving the community and supporting young drivers by certifying Class D drivers’ tests for the State of Idaho.

Bonnie was the friendliest person you could ever meet. Her abundant charisma, patient smile and calm demeanor always made others feel welcome. Bonnie truly liked people and took a sincere interest in them. Bonnie was also an excellent cook and known for her Italian cooking and baking, including her famous lemon poppyseed bread. She made life fun and found a reason to be happy every day whether it was taking time to get her nails done or having others over for dinner. Bonnie’s effervescence made everyone feel welcome and at home. She was loved by so many. She and Cliff had many fun adventures together including several driving trips all across the U.S. and travel to France and Italy.

Bonnie loved her husband dearly and was so proud of her family. She adored her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and would talk about them with great pride.

Bonnie and Cliff were married 66 years and moved from Plummer, ID, back to Odessa in 2020 to be closer to their family. Bonnie is preceded in death by her parents Celestino and Viva Mancinelli; brother Alex (Pat) Mancinelli; and daughter Terry (Mike) Connolly. She is survived by husband Cliff Mooney of Odessa; brother Dick (Dorothy) Mancinelli of Huntington Beach, CA; sister Darleen Andrews of Sonora, CA; daughter Janie (Dave) Steward of Odessa; son Jim (Lisa) Mooney of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; daughter Donna Mooney of Spokane; and son Don (Leona) Mooney of Harrington. Grandchildren include Shaun (April) Steward; Josh (Katie) Steward; Jill (Dave) Connolly; Katie (Matt) Douglas; Matt (Leah) Messmer Mooney; and Eric Mooney. Great grandchildren include Dakota, Jack, Sadie, Angela, Hartlee, Michael, Gracie and Connor.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Odessa, will host a Rosary Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 7pm and Celebration of Life on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 11 a.m. Memorials may be made to the Odessa Healthcare Foundation, PO Box 368, Odessa, WA 99159 or to the St. Joseph’ Catholic Church Altar Society. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.strate-funeral.com for the Mooney family. Strate Funeral Home of Davenport, Washington, is caring for the Mooney Family.