Bonny Lee Thompson

1927 – 2019

Bonny Lee Thompson was born on July 15, 1927 and passed away on July 22, 2019 in Riverside. She was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma to Mary Lee Laughlin and Charles A. Adams. Her father died shortly after her birth and she was raised by her mother and grandparents on their family’s large farm in Enid, Oklahoma.

In 1935 Bonny’s mother married Murl F. Patterson and the family moved to Stockton, California, where Bonny attended school. She married her first husband John Tolle in 1945 and moved to Long Beach. Bonny and John had two children, John and Deborah, lived in Riverside and divorced in 1964. Bonny became a real estate broker and in 1966 she married Jerome H. Thompson who was also a real estate broker. This marriage blended their families to include Jerry’s two children, Mark and Julie Ann. Together Bonny and Jerry created a real estate portfolio that included single family homes, apartment communities, commercial developments, a self-storage facility and numerous holdings throughout Riverside County.

Bonny was a beautiful woman whose sense of style made her stand out in any crowd. She appreciated fashion, art and design, but her greatest love was family and friends. Bonny liked nothing better than to prepare a lavish meal and host a large gathering of children, grandchildren and extended family. Bonny’s generosity was legendary and her most profound wish was to make sure that those she loved were well taken care of and happy. Anyone who knew her says, “She was the most amazing woman I have ever known.”

Bonny passed away from the accumulated effects of age related disease and she fought valiantly to the end. She leaves a legacy of determination, perseverance, and devotion to loved ones. She was predeceased by her husband, Jerome H. Thompson, her stepdaughter Julie Ann Sherwin, her grandson Michael Garrett Thompson and her sister Pamela Ann Arlett. She is survived by her children John Tolle, Deborah Kimmel, and Mark Thompson and their spouses, her brother Dan Patterson, 7 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 o’clock on August 7, 2019 at Acheson & Graham Garden of Prayer Mortuary, 7944 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside. Interment will follow at Olivewood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations to Alzheimer’s Association at www.AlzheimersLA.org/donate.