Bonnie Metz Medlinger

Bonnie Alice Medlinger, 89, died on Tuesday, August 15, 2017. Services will be held at 2.00 p.m. on Saturday, August 19, 2017, in the chapel at Dutton Funeral Home in Iowa Park with Rev. Bill Watts of Wichita Falls officiating. Services will be under the direction of Dutton Funeral Home in Iowa Park

Bonnie was born in Iowa Park, Texas, on February 4, 1928, the daughter of Charles Lawson and Mildred Carter Metz of Iowa Park. Following her graduation with honors from W. F. George High School, Iowa Park, in 1945, she attended Midwestern University for three years before leaving to marry Jim Medlinger on September 17, 1950. They had three children: Charles Michael, James Craig (Rip), and Kerry Tim (Smokey).

Once her children were in school, Bonnie went to work for the City of Iowa Park and the Iowa Park School District. She went back to college to earn her degree, a Bachelor of Science in Education (Secondary) from Midwestern University. At the graduation ceremony, Bonnie was recognized as the 1996 Outstanding Graduate in Business Education.

In 1965, she joined the faculty at Iowa Park High School. After teaching business courses for three years, she became a world history teacher before returning to business and taking charge of vocational office education (VOE) until 1985. In 1978, she received the District 9 Business Teacher of the Year Award in recognition of her outstanding work.

Bonnie worked for Sheppard Field, Midwestern University, the Texhoma Fair Association, the Iowa Park Chamber of Commerce/County Tax Office, and Barbour Trucking Company and Hill Motor Company, both in Iowa Park. In 1987, she and Jim went off on a California adventure, both working for Carter Wind Systems. But they liked neither the wind nor the heat nor the desert of Palm Springs and returned after ten months.

Bonnie was an accomplished pianist and organist. She played piano for Faith Mission (now Faith Baptist Church) in Iowa Park in 1955. For 20 years, she was the organist at First Baptist Church in Iowa Park. After retiring (the church honored her service with “Bonnie Medlinger Day”), she continued playing as a church organist/pianist at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa Park, First Southern Baptist Church in Palm Springs, California, and for RV Ministries in South Fork, Colorado, and Uvalde, Texas.

In 1994, she and Jim sold their house and went off RVing full time “for two years, if we like it.” The two years turned into seven. Most of their summers were spent in South Fork, the winters in Uvalde. The couple finally gave up their roaming days in 2010 and settled down in Iowa Park. Her beloved Jim died in July 2013.

Bonnie never stopped playing the piano. After moving to Rolling Meadows, she frequently played for the services in the chapel (earning the nickname “Mozart”) and for events for residents.

While her greatest love was music, she was also keenly interested in travel, camping, table games, and group activities. She was a member of many organizations, including Iowa Park Music Club, 23 Study Club of Iowa Park, Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority, Iowa Park Organists, and Texas Retired Teachers.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her son Tim, her parents, and her sister, Charlene Metz Tate.

Surviving relatives are her two sons, Michael of Hamburg, Germany, and Rip and his wife Vivian of Iowa Park; her grandchildren Cody Myers and his wife Nicole of Phoenix, Arizona, Regan Medlinger, and Erika Aleman, both of Wichita Falls; and three great-grandchildren as well as numerous nephews, and nieces, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Wichita Falls, Faith Baptist Church of Iowa Park, Rolling Meadows Retirement Community, or to a charity of choice.