Bonnie (Baucom) Lathan

Bonnie (Baucom) Lathan, 91, of Charlotte passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Wednesday September 20, 2023. Bonnie was a resident at Pruitt Health in Rockingham, NC, but she considered Charlotte her home. She was born at home in Gastonia, NC on March 27, 1932. Her parents were the late Mamie (Eades) Baucom and John D. Baucom.

Bonnie had a great sense of humor. She was always drawing and doodling. Her family remember her little sketches fondly. Bonnie was a master checkers player. She was hard to beat. She attended Sacred Heart College. The FBI recruited her there. She took the train to Washington, DC and she worked for the FBI for over two years. She was in the fingerprint division. Two of her sisters followed her to Washington, DC.

When Bonnie was younger, she liked to dress up, along with her girlfriends, and take pictures. Bonnie was very attractive and she enjoyed showing it off. Her family cherishes the pictures she took in her youth. Bonnie could cook. Her family remembers her mashed potatoes, lemon squares along with her cheese puffs and cheese pennies. She never wanted anyone to go hungry and she would “load up” her daughters with food when they traveled. Bonnie was the primary care-taker of her grandchildren before they entered school. She took many pictures and videos of these twins. She was always willing to help her family and she would often step in to help pick them up from school. She was exceptionally close to these twin grandchildren. She leaves behind a large void and many will miss her.

Her former husband, and father of her children, Thomas G. “Jerry” Lathan, preceded her in death. Her sisters, Edith Black, Martile “Tillie” Humphries, Joyce Stewart and Jean Daves and brother John Baucom all also precede her in death.

Her two daughters, Kim Lathan and Lynn Lathan, survive Bonnie. She leaves behind her 14-year-old twin grandchildren, Madelyn Lathan and John Lathan. Her last sibling, Joe Baucom, also survives her, as do many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended family members.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday September 22, 2023, in The Dogwood Room, at Carothers Funeral Home, 2205 Williamsburg Drive, Gastonia. Friends are encouraged to support the family and to say good-bye to Bonnie during this time.

A service remembering Bonnie and celebrating her life will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday September 23, 2023, at Carothers Funeral Home in Gastonia. Burial will follow in the Dogwood Garden at Gaston Memorial Park. Reverend Jack Homesley, Bonnie’s pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Charlotte, will officiate. He will offer words of encouragement and hope to family and friends that gather to remember Bonnie.

Fond memories of Bonnie, and condolences for the family, may be left at www.carothersfuneralhomegastonia.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggest that donations are made to Bonnie’s church, Calvary Baptist, in Charlotte. The address is 2727 Mount Holly Huntersville Rd, Charlotte, NC 28214 or https://www.thecalvarylife.com/give/.

The staff of Carothers Funeral Home at Gaston Memorial Park is honored to serve the Lathan and Baucom families.