Bonnie Faye Matthews

Bonnie Faye Matthews of Pinon Hills passed away peacefully in her home on Monday May 2, 2022. She was 85 years old. One of nine children, Bonnie was born and raised on a small farm in Mena, Arkansas. Her birth family consisted of her parents, Alvin and Delia (Horton) Powell, sisters: Mildred, Lorene, Penny, Betty, and brothers, Ray, Marvin, Joe, Tommy. She came to

California 70 years ago, living with her older sister Lorene and Aubrey Cagle in Ontario. She secured a job as a waitress in a coffee shop where she met her future husband.

Bonnie was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Walter Charles Matthews and her daughter, Cynthia Faye (Matthews) Perez, six of her siblings, and son in law, Dana Love. She is survived by her sister, Betty Myers and her brother Tommy Powell, daughter Caroline Love, son Walter Alan (Jane), son in law Rick Perez, and many nieces and nephews. She was very close to her grandchildren, Dana Mormann (Shane), Amanda Scott (Adam), Adam Perez, Walter Timothy (Cynthia), Todd (Sarah), Stephanie Delorme (Vince). She is also survived and adored by her nine great grandchildren: Caila, Alyssa, Austin, Anthony, Ariana, Evelyn, Abigail, Levi and Lillie. She cherished her family and gathering at her Pinon Hills home was a centerpiece of many special family memories.

She was called, "Mom," "Grandma," "Nana," and "Grandma gg". Bonnie was always interested in others and enjoyed keeping up with the lives of her grandchildren, and her many nieces and nephews. Gardening was her passion and she was known in her previous hometown, Montclair, Ca, for having one of the prettiest yards in town. In 1994, Walt and Bonnie retired, he from the phone company, she from Bank of America and they moved to the high desert. Their Pinon Hills land and cabin, long held as a site for family weekends, was the spot they chose for their next chapter, building a new home around Bonnie's vision. Bonnie cooked up a storm in that kitchen over the years, hosting so many important holidays and birthdays, Sunday dinners, and game nights. She took on the harsh desert climate outside as well and still managed to grow some of the most beautiful flowers, plants, and trees. She was a relentless gardener, filling up three shopping carts with plants and flowers just days before her passing.

Although Bonnie experienced the loss of her husband, her sister Lorene, who was also her closest friend, and her daughter Cynthia, she never closed herself off from others. Her home was open to many and she met each day with childlike enthusiasm, a bit of stubborn resilience, and a giving heart. Bonnie enjoyed spending time with family, her dog Hachi, playing card games, touring gardens, poppy fields, cherry orchards, and Christmas shops. She adored Christmas and each fall filled her home with twinkling lights, dancing Santas, and the largest Christmas village most of us have ever seen. She expressed a lot of gratitude in her last few months and she said she made peace with God calling her home in his time. She loved easily, was loved deeply, and she will be missed always.

Services will be held at Desert View Memorial Park, Victorville, California on Tuesday, May 17, at 10:00 Am. Flowers may be sent to Desert View Memorial Park, 11500 Amargosa Rd. Victorville, California. The family asks that you come to celebrate her life as vibrantly as she lived it. Attendees are encouraged to wear light or bright clothing in honor of her love of gardening.