Bonnie Rubey McMurtry

A lifelong Houstonian, Bonnie was loved by everyone she met and she had a host of family and friends who will all miss her deeply.

Bonnie leaves behind her beloved husband, Lee McMurtry and daughters Molly and Abby. Bonnie and Lee would have been married 16 years on the 22nd of June and their life together was filled with laughter and adventure, travel and work, voluntarism and cooking, music, hunting, fishing and loving. They folded a lifetime of memories into those almost 16 years together.

Bonnie and Lee met at Mayor Day Caldwell & Keeton, where they both worked as lawyers.

Travel was a constant in Bonnie’s life. Although she was a Houstonian through and through, she and Lee would travel together and with family and friends. She would plan vacations in detail and would ensure that every day was filled with experiences and events that were authentic to where they were visiting. Days would start early and end late and no detail was missed. They would fly fish in Montana, deep-sea fish in Belize, quail hunt in Hebbronville and sail through the islands in Greece. They explored England and Spain and even once accidentally visited Germany. A favorite place was France, where Bonnie would immerse herself in the culture and language and enjoyed celebrating Bastille Day. She loved the French version of running with the bulls on Bastille day and also loved the French celebration of Transhumance, where sheep are moved from the low meadows to the high pasture each spring. One of the highlights of Bonnie’s life was a vacation to Africa with her mother, Sherry Kempner, who both say that it was a trip of a lifetime that they shared together. Bonnie’s favorite book was “Out of Africa” and she was an African Studies major at the University of Texas at Austin. She attended The University of Texas School of Law and had a long and successful career as a transactional attorney and specialized in real estate transactions.

And, it was a love of all living creatures that was a focus for Bonnie. She had a tender heart and would care for all manner of animals, from birds to ferrets to dogs and horses. An avid horsewoman, Bonnie loved to ride and show horses. In recent years, she became interested in competitive carriage driving. She won many awards and trophies. Bonnie was also on the board of and was the past president of the Houston Area Carriage Association.

The family has a farm in Round Top, where Bonnie would immerse herself on weekends with her horses. Bonnie’s dogs, Virgil and Alaska, have been an important part of her life. As a volunteer, Bonnie has worked tirelessly helping foster dogs that no one else would care for. She never shied away from helping any animal in need.

Bonnie loved country music, animals and flowers. And she was the consummate hostess. She loved to entertain and cook, too. Lee jokes that Bonnie considered recipes just a set of guidelines and she would make wonderful meals from osso bucco to gazpacho. She loved to attend cooking classes and was an accomplished gourmet chef but never mastered bread making, says Lee, who notes that they once used her muffins as reusable skeet targets.

Bonnie was a 1983 graduate of St. John’s School and was an Allegro Debutante. She was a member of The Garden Club of Houston and won many awards for flower arranging. And she was very proud, that after many years of second place wins, won Grand Champion in the Round Top 4th of July Parade.

In August 2012, Bonnie was diagnosed with breast cancer right before they were going to Montana to fly fish. Her love for Lee was so great and her concern for his wellbeing so strong, Bonnie put off telling Lee about her cancer diagnosis until after the trip because she did not want Lee to worry about her. Bonnie was thankful and appreciative of MD Anderson Cancer Center and all of her doctors, nurses, and staff who cared for her so skillfully. After her diagnosis, Bonnie started attending services at Grace Bible Church and credits the Church with helping her be able to endure breast cancer surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. “Bonnie was so touched and moved by the people there and their pastors,” says Lee. “She found Jesus there.”

To know Bonnie is to know love and grace, laughter and life. Most of all in life, there was a selflessness about Bonnie that is rare. She cared about her people: her husband, daughters, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews and close circle of friends.

Bonnie is preceded in death by her fathers, Bill Rubey and Jim Kempner, her step father. Besides Lee, Molly and Abby, Bonnie is survived by her grandmother, Marian Davis, her loving mother, Sherry Kempner, sister Karen Devlin and brother-in-law Mark Devlin, brother Robert Rubey and sister-in-law Meghan Rubey, brother Jay Kempner and sister-in-law Jenny Kempner, sister Ceci Kempner Goldstone and brother-in-law Michael Goldstone and nieces and nephews: Wyatt and Stearman Rubey, Sam and Isaac Goldstone, Jack, Mary and Robert Kempner and Bonnie Bering.

A service celebrating Bonnie’s life is to be conducted at three o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, the 1st of May, at Grace Bible Church, 6325 Hurst Street in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in Bonnie’s memory may be directed to Scout’s Honor by visiting www.scoutshonor.org or Habitat for Horses, 6034 Terrebonne Road, Hitchcock, Texas 77563.