Shirley Jean Bonuccelli

Shirley was born in Ottumwa, Iowa on June 19, 1929 to Cecile Gee Putman and Earl Putman. Her father passed away when she was only 18 months old, changing the course of her young life. Her mother eventually married again, and Shirley became the proud older sister to two brothers, Gerry and George and two sisters, Joyce and Patricia. The family eventually moved to Minnesota and subsequently Selma, California, in 1938. She moved to Stockton in 1940.

Shirley attended Stockton High School and graduated at 17 years old. After graduation, she began working for Pacific Telephone, and soon thereafter, met her husband to be, Joe Bonuccelli. They married on December 31, 1949 and had three children together, Linda, David and Tim. She was a very active wife and mother, totally dedicated to her entire family as well as Joe’s. She was a member of the PTA and very involved with her children both academically and in sports.

She and her husband owned and ran three businesses together. Their first was his family-owned grocery store, then bail bonds and finally as a real estate lender. Shirley became a bail bondsman herself, which was very unusual at the time. When Joe retired, Shirley began a new career of her own at the San Joaquin Mental Health Department, where she worked for 20 years.

Shirley was a two-time breast cancer survivor. The first time, in 1962 and the second in 1987. She began a breast cancer survivor group in Stockton, “Bosom Buddies”, in which she was active for many years. She was a recipient of The Rose Award, by the Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation in Sacramento, CA, and she truly enjoyed participating in the cancer survivor fashion show, “Surviving Beautifully” each year in Stockton.

She was an avid volunteer and participant in numerous charities. The San Francisco Bay to Breakers fun run was a favorite for many years. She also volunteered in the STARS program at the Sheriff’s Department of San Joaquin County and the California Highway Patrol. She and Joe made a trip to Louisiana after hurricane Katrina, to help the community in any way they could. They also donated to the restoration of the Bob Hope Theater in downtown Stockton, as well as their classic film program, Friends of the Fox Theater, which she enjoyed on many occasions.

Silver Lake was a favorite destination throughout Shirley’s life. She began enjoying the family camp in her teens and continued to enjoy this beautiful place for the rest of her life. Camping and hiking, with her children and later grandchildren, was the highlight of her summer. In 2016 she received recognition for her many years of participation in the Stockton Family Camp.

Shirley and Joe travelled to many places in the United States and, eventually, all over the world. Their trips took them to many exciting and exotic places, most notably China, Russia, Europe, New Zealand and South America. Siberia, where they rode the Trans-Siberian Railroad and the trip down the Amazon, were two of their favorites. They were also very fond of Hawaii and spent many lovely vacations there.

Shirley’s happiness and her desire to be in her home to the end of her days, was of paramount importance to her children and she was happy to the end of her life. She always said she was the most blessed person you could ever know.

She is preceded in death by her father, Earl Putman, her mother, Cecile Hunt, her brothers, Gerry and George, her sisters, Joyce and Patricia and her husband of 66 years, Joe Bonuccelli.

She is survived by her children, Linda Bonuccelli (Alyson), David Bonuccelli (Deborah) and Tim Bonuccelli (Diana), her grandchildren, Barry Barisic, Blair Bonuccelli and Zairha Hernandez, and her great grandson, Luca Bonuccelli.