Bonnie Clawson

In Utah during her first year, she enjoyed spending time with her grandparents: Margaret & James Buck, and Laverna Clawson. Her grandfathers Ernest Clawson and Akonie Hoopiiaina never had the joy of meeting her on this earth, as they passed before she was born.

In 1974, when Bonnie was one, the family moved to Snowflake, Arizona. A year or two later they purchased a small one-bedroom home next to the Leon and Barbara Bigler family. Barbara and her daughter Missy would become lifelong family friends. The family moved next three miles south into a log house in Taylor, Arizona - just in time for Bonnie to start kindergarten, which she adored. They lived in Taylor through her fifth grade year. These Arizona years were marked by the arrival of Bonnie's two biological siblings, Renae and Daniel. Jackie was well remembered for making matching outfits by hand for Bonnie and Renae. Blair fondly remembers these days with Bonnie, especially the "special time with Daddy" that they had regularly, and the occasional "Daddy - Daughter Dances" that they attended. Renae was Bonnie's persistent shadow, always wanting to play Charlie's Angels "with the big girls." Daniel, being the baby, was often treated as her plaything and was known to be dressed in various elaborate outfits as part of some game (he looked fabulous in the red velvet dress!), to which Daniel would reply in indignation, "Don't play wis (with) me like a toy!" Her memories of Arizona were also marked with Blair's raising many rabbits and an occasional goat. These would sometimes end up on the family's dinner plates - much to Bonnie's dismay! ("Is this the grey bunny or the brown bunny?") One could hypothesize that this may likely have contributed to her decision later in life to become a pescatarian.

The Clawson clan moved to Tallahassee in August of 1984, with plans for Blair to attend Florida State University and pursue a PhD in Music Education. Their first house was on Margaret Court. Their first Florida home boasted two rooms with a window AC unit (no central AC), great trees for climbing, and a cul-de-sac complete with a hill designed for bicycle riding. That first summer they were greeted by Hurricane Kate, baptism by fire on that particular natural disaster known well by any vetted Floridian. After a week with no power, Bonnie was ready to move back to Arizona. In their new neighborhood, Bonnie and Renae would meet Lisa Toney, who would become another special lifelong friend. Lisa was known by Blair and Jackie as "our other daughter" due to the close bonds of friendship and so much time spent together.

Bonnie started 6th grade that fall at Cobb Middle School. It was at Cobb that Bonnie met Maenell Smith, who would be one of her closest friends for the rest of her life. Bonnie sang her way through middle school in chorus, taught by Jody Drew who would later in life become a colleague of Bonnie at Florida State University School. During middle school, Bonnie developed a well-known love of romance novels. She then attended Rickards High School but found that it was not the best fit for her and she withdrew from high school on her 16th birthday. She successfully completed her GED and went to work as a nanny for the next 2 years for a family named the Cottrells. While working as a nanny, Bonnie befriended Kristine Wallace, whose friendship she cherished always.

When Bonnie turned 18, she was ready to go back to school. She chose to pursue her initial degree at Tallahassee Community College and then transferred to Florida State University for her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She felt that this was a great way to create positive change in the lives of children. Her hope was to make school a more positive experience for as many children as possible. After graduation from FSU, she worked as a substitute for Leon County schools, then went to work for Downtown Babies and Kids Child Development Center, where she worked her way up to director and specialized in early childhood education for the next 8 years. It was at Downtown Babies that Bonnie befriended Hazel Hammond, an incredible woman and lifelong friend, who dedicated so many years of her life volunteering, tending her animals, and generally making those around her feel happy.

Bonnie once again decided to further her education and embarked on a master's degree from FSU in Reading Education and Language Arts. Using this degree, she worked for the past 16 years as a teacher at Florida State University Schools. She bloomed as an educator at FSUS and was known for her excellence with intensive reading students, as she was adept at working with children who required that extra bit of attention and encouragement to overcome their academic or personal struggles. Her FSUS years were blessed with numerous friends. Noreen, Cynthia, Vikki, Cathy, Suzanne, Eileen, Linda, Jennie, Kim, Robert, and Shalonda are just a few of the wonderful loving friends she made. There are so many members of her FSUS family it is impossible to name everyone, but know that she loved you all! The continued love and support that Bonnie received from her close friends throughout her health struggles meant more to her than words could express. Thank you to every one of you that came to sit with her or made efforts to call or text regularly.

Bonnie's family life changed in 1989 when her mother and father divorced. Bonnie and her siblings continued to have shared time with both parents as they moved only a few streets away from each other. Her father Blair remarried in 1990 to Cindy Bryan (now Clawson) melding their two families. The new "Brady Bunch" included the 3 biological Clawson children plus 3 new Bryans: Tatiana, Erik, and Trevor. It was a short time before the "bio-lines" were erased and the gang of six siblings bonded together in every way, creating a united front against the adults in all important matters! Blair and Cindy have been married now for 32 years and are still as happy and as in love as the day they met.

Bonnie was married as well to Hyeon Ho Kim. She met Hyeon Ho one night while he expertly made her Hibachi dinner while he was at work. Hyeon Ho was always grateful for Bonnie's loving attention and the warm sense of family he felt when with her. Alas, their lives would diverge and they divorced 5 years after they were married. She continued to stay in contact with Hyeon Ho and their separation was cordial. A number of years later Bonnie and Blair had a memorable road trip as they drove together to Shreveport, Louisiana for Hyeon Ho's naturalization ceremony. Bonnie's life was also graced by another great love, a truly kindred heart. Bonnie met and fell in love with Don Gavin when she was 19 years of age. She and Don spent many years together intermittently throughout their lives. Their love for each other was as old and true as the ever-flowing water from the Wakulla Springs, where he was a riverboat captain and park ranger. They understood each other in a special way and cherished their friendship as much as their romance. Bonnie was there when Don was laid to rest in 2017 and was heartbroken at his loss. She knew that something had left her that day that she would never find again on this earth.

During her life, Bonnie always put her family first. She was a dedicated caregiver to her mother Jackie for 10-plus years. She worked as a team with her brother Daniel (and Renae remotely), always finding ways to adapt to Jackie's needs. Bonnie and Daniel prided themselves on creating special memories and honoring family traditions. Whether it was The Celebration of Lights in Tallahassee, the Greek Food Festival, Dorothy B. Oven Christmas Lights, Dragon*Con, Halloween Dinner-In-A-Pumpkin, numerous cruises, or simply their Friday night tradition to eat Chinese take-out food, the Doomar trio never missed an opportunity to enjoy life and spend time together. It was a devastating blow to see her mother go home to God in January of 2021, but Bonnie, Renae, and Daniel were all there holding her hands as she passed from this earth. We should also recognize Jackie's best friend and "little" Renae's namesake, Renae Richards. Renae and her daughter Kate must be recognized as being two of the most dedicated women to Bonnie's entire family for the span of over 6 decades. They are warriors of loyalty and dedication, and their love is valued beyond measure.

Everyone outside of work knew Bonnie as Auntie because at the core of her essence, that's what she was. She was the best Auntie that ever lived. Many of us would remember Bonnie rocking a baby, giving hugs, scalp massages and praise, and listening raptly to every tiny story she was told. She never missed a birthday, not even once. She attended in person or remotely nearly every recital, game, performance, or party to which she was invited. Sick or well, she was there. As she would say, "because that's what we do ... we show up." Her constant loving presence created a rich quilt of memories that will be carried by these children who hold our future in their hands. Her nieces and nephews include James, Ari, Alex, Eliana, Stokes, Beth, Lorelei, Eden, Max, Devin, Mia, and Wynona. Bonnie is survived by her nieces and nephews as well as Blair (Cindy) Clawson, Renae Richards, Tatiana (Micah) Christensen, Renae (Reginald) Lucien, Erik (Maria) Bryan, Daniel Clawson, Kate (Steve) Wilcox, and Trevor (Jennifer) Bryan. We love and miss you Auntie and hope you are having a hot cup of coffee with Grandma Buck and saving a seat for us.

The Memorial Service for Bonnie Clawson will be held at 312 Stadium Dr, Tallahassee, FL 32304 and will start at 11:00 AM, January 7th, 2023.

Those who are unable to attend in person, the Zoom session will start shortly before the service using the following meeting link https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93201275023. We will be recording the service for those who can’t attend at that time and a Dropbox link can be provided upon request for those who have scheduling conflicts.

After the Memorial Service, there will be a luncheon and Celebration of Life in the cultural hall at the same location as the Memorial Service.