Bonnie Jean Walker

Bonnie Jean (Wilson) Walker passed away peacefully in her home on October 26, 2024. Born on August 15, 1942, in the Orchard, NE area, she was the oldest of 4 children of Winfred and Helen (Cleveland) Wilson. 

Bonnie grew up in small towns around the Omaha area. She helped her dad with farm chores and drove tractors as a child. She was a smart cookie, skipped 4th grade in elementary school. She had great ambitions of becoming a teacher after graduating high school in 1959 from Valley High School in Valley, NE. After a semester at Wayne State College, funds were not available for her to continue, so she worked as a teller at a bank in Elkhorn, NE. 

While employed at the bank, she met Larnie Myers. They were united in marriage on August 21, 1960. To this union, Bonnie and Larnie had 2 daughters, Sandra Jean and Kim Renee. The couple built a house in SW Omaha area. Shortly thereafter she was employed at Western Electric. The couple went their separate ways in 1966.

Bonnie married Edward Spencer in late 1969, and family then moved to Missouri Valley, IA. She was locally active with Jaycee-ettes and the kids’ activities including a Blue Bird/Camp Fire Girl leader. She could be found at the football field every Friday night cheering on the local high school football team and her daughters play in the band at halftime. This marriage also ended, and she relocated back to the Omaha area.

Bonnie climbed her way up in the ranks at Western Electric. She went back to college in the summer of 1979, with her oldest daughter. She achieved her bachelor’s degree in business from Buena Vista College in 1984. This degree allowed her to work as a sales representative and in accounting at Western Electric, then promoted to floor manager. With the break-up of Ma Bell, Western Electric became Lucent Technologies, later becoming AT&T. This division allowed her to retire at the young age of 49.

Being single and retired allowed Bonnie to meet a dashing man, Jack Walker, who had also retired from AT&T. They moved to the Sun City, AZ area in 1992, and married in May 1994. She became very active with many hobbies: golfing, ceramics, crotchet, and traveling. There was not a day that Bonnie didn’t have a crotchet needle and yarn in her hands. She would tell us it was her hand therapy. 

Bonnie and Jack traveled away from Sun City, spending the summer months in Boulder, CO, San Luis Obispo, CA, and South Padre Island, TX. Both were avid golfers and participated in many casual games and tournaments. They also traveled back to Nebraska many times to root for Huskers at Memorial Stadium, and to see family and friends. 

Bonnie became an usher part-time at University of Phoenix Stadium (currently State Farm Stadium). She felt this was the only way she could scratch “Going to a Super Bowl” off her bucket list. This was accomplished on February 3, 2008 when the New England Patriots, led by one of her favorite quarterbacks Tom Brady, played the New York Giants. 

Jack and Bonnie loved the casinos in the area. You could find Jack on the slot machines, and Bonnie in the BINGO rooms. She also enjoyed KENO. The numbers she used were the dates of her grandkid’s birth dates, which eventually won her a jackpot. For the past couple of years, local BINGO was on her schedule, and she yelled BINGO many times. They were also members of the Elks Club Lodge #2559.

Bonnie is survived by daughters Sandi (Mark), Kim (Byron), stepson Gary (Linda); grandchildren Amanda (George); Jessica (Wallace); Justin (Ashley); Kersha (Brian); Mikayla (Terry); and Nicholas; sibling Roger (Rita); sister-in-law Ruth; and many great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by husband Jack, her parents Winfred and Helen, sister Carol, brother Larry, and great-granddaughter Aubrey Jean.

 In lieu of flowers, please donate in her memory to:

 Elks Club #2559: https://www.elks.org/lodges/home.cfm?LodgeNumber=2559

Or

Hospice of the Valley: https://www.hov.org/donate