Bonnie Louise Dowell, 66, of Aberdeen, South Dakota, passed away on Thursday, May 16th 2019 at her home in Phoenix, surrounded by her family. Bonnie was born on December 3rd, 1952, to Emil Andrew and Ludvena (Schmidt) Kilber at St. Luke’s hospital in Aberdeen, SD. Bonnie was one of 10 siblings and grew up surrounded by a lively and adventurous family. Following her graduation from Roncalli High school in 1971, Bonnie lived in several amazing cities, including Minneapolis, MN, San Clemente, CA, and Phoenix, AZ. She eventually settled in sunny Phoenix, AZ and while she worked her way through college as a waitress, she met her husband of 33 years, Pete; they were married on July 20th, 1985. Bonnie had a successful career in the mortgage industry as a branch manager and loan officer, for over 30 years; all the while she was an incredible mom to her two daughters as well as a dedicated wife. Bonnie loved to dance and laugh, enjoyed skiing, and loved remodeling homes with her husband Pete. She was free-spirited, fair, honest, kind, and an incredibly generous. She never slowed down and had a beautiful zest for life. One of Bonnie's greatest joys and biggest motivators in life was her beautiful grandchildren; she took complete joy in being a part of each one of their lives and sharing laughs, ice-cream, and many beautiful memories with them all. She battled cancer for over 5 years, and in that time, never gave up hope and showed unparalleled strength in her fight despite facing countless obstacles. She lived her life by the morals and values she treasured most: kindness, selflessness, determination, fairness, integrity, and love. She is survived by her loving and adoring husband, Pete, daughters, Naomi Pluchel and Ana (Pat) Bruton, 6 grandchildren (soon to be 7), Kaitlyn, Harper, Lennon, Raven, Kensington, and Emerson, mother, Ludvena Kilber, siblings, Arlene (Neal) Goldblatt, Ron Kilber, Stan Kilber, Dorothy (Rick) Church, Diana Kilber, Mary Kilber, Nancy (Butch) Himmerich, Susie Cuchessi, Theresa LaFay, and dozens of nieces and nephews. Bonnie was preceded in death by her father, mother & father-in-law, George and Helen Dowell, nephew, Ryan Himmerich, and brother-in-law, John Cuchessi. Bonnie loved the life she lived, will be forever missed, and never forgotten; she was a shining light in this world. Family, friends, and all those whose lives Bonnie touched are invited to Bonnie’s celebration of life on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019, from 12 p.m-2 p.m. at Serenity Chapel at Greenwood Memory Lawn, which is located at: 719 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009.
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