Bonnie Jean (Girvin) Magnuson June 19, 1931 — December 4, 2021

Bonnie Jean (Girvin) Magnuson was born June 19, 1931 in Gering NE. She moved to Vale OR with her parents and six older siblings in 1937, where her father had, the previous year traveled out to, and put a down payment on a 171-acre farm west of Vale.

Bonnie helped on the farm and attended Vale High School where she graduated in 1949.

Bonnie met and married Bob Magnuson March 2, 1952, and they purchased a farm between Fruitland and New Plymouth ID. There they built a new house as well as converted the land from orchard to farm ground and raised dairy cows. They had four children, Helen Powers (currently of Florida), Jerry Magnuson (formerly of American Falls ID, deceased 1988), John Magnuson (currently of Ontario OR), and Keith Magnuson (currently of Fruitland ID). She had four grandchildren and many great grandchildren, as well as great-great grandchildren.

Bonnie enjoyed the farm life and community, she had a helping hand in no matter what the task, from raising chickens for butcher to taking care of the kids. Bonnie would be one of the first to show up if any of the neighboring families fell on hard times, ready to do what was needed. She always had a meal ready for anyone who showed up as well as all the folks helping with the many projects required on a farm. Bonnie was also known for her cooking, she loved to experiment with new recipes and had truly mastered the old ones. She amazingly could walk into anyone’s house and pull the leftovers from the fridge and make a completely new meal.

Bonnie was a true leader and the matriarch of our family. She set the example for us of how to be strong, of how to love unconditionally, of loyalty and strong devotion to family. She taught us to never give up and always take action for nothing was unattainable. She never forgot a birthday, anniversary or any of the special events in any of our lives. She would celebrate all occasions. She also was very good at coordinating family reunions as they encompassed all her passions, food, family, kids and fun.

Bonnie was the youngest of seven children and at the family get togethers she could be found in the midst of all the kids, starting something that was going to get someone in trouble. Bonnie was the instigator of many shenanigans, that would later, when discovered, cause a lot of laughter. As she aged, she became affectionately nicknamed “MOAB”, Mean Old Aunt Bonnie, which made us all laugh as she was just being teased.

Bonnie loved keeping the kids busy with projects for each of them, her greatest gift was her love of children and her ability to teach them and inspire them to know they could accomplish any task they wanted and have fun doing it. When the kids were old enough to attend 4H classes in her community she taught them as there was a need for a teacher. She enjoyed showing the livestock, as well as traveling around the valley rock hunting and making things with the treasures they found. She enjoyed sewing, photography, gardening and learning through the kids. Bonnie was a good listener and was always motivated to help the kids find the solution to what they wanted to do and teach them about how to do it. Bonnie was always aware of what all the kids in the neighborhood did and even though she herself did not know how to swim, she made sure the kids took swimming lessons as they liked to swim in the canal on hot afternoons when the chores were done and there was no school. Most would say she was very good at keeping the kids busy and out of trouble, but the truth was she was teaching the kids how to not get caught.

Bonnie went to work at Ore-Ida Foods in the early 70’s, there she worked as a pallet clerk keeping track of inventory stored at Ameri-cold. As you could imagine all the people, she worked with were sorry to see her go when she retired as she cooked for them daily and helped them not only working but with any other problem as well, that’s just what she did hard times or not. When she left not only did, she pack up her desk but there was a whole kitchen that had to be moved. Ameri-colds loss was Rocking R Campers gain as she started cooking for the staff as well as the UPS, Fed-Ex, and many more delivery drivers that began to stop by at lunch time, at her son’s shop.

In Bonnie’s retirement years she enjoyed her garden, where she raised all different kinds of flowers including her favorites which were gladiolas, as well as vegetables to share with her family and friends. She also enjoyed her chickens; she was especially proud of her rooster and could be caught rubbing his feet with an ointment because they hurt. She loved helping her daughter with the farmers markets. She loved meeting people and sharing samples of the breads they sold. If there was a child around, she would make sure they got a huge slice, and it was probably dripping with jam. She also helped at Sunnyside farms during asparagus season because she loved to see all the people that came to buy some. She also helped as a volunteer at the catholic churches little red house raising money for charities. Bonnie had a boundless amount of energy and never seemed to be idle. She always enjoyed getting together with friends and family for a game of pinochle, many evening were spent playing and occasionally new rules would appear to only count there.

When the home place became obviously too much to everyone but her, she moved to Edgewood Assisted Living in Fruitland ID. She was not happy with the move but soon discovered that there were many people she knew there and many people that needed her help stirring up trouble. She began to appreciate the move and made many new friends. She was loved by so many there. Her care was truly inspiring. Bonnie peacefully passed on December 4, 2021, at the age of 90.

Bonnie was the last surviving member of her siblings and parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Bob, and son Jerry and great-great grandchild Mathias. She is survived by her daughter Helen, and sons John and Keith as well as grand kids and great grand kids.

A graveside memorial for Bonnie will be held at 2:30 pm, Friday, April 8th at Park View Cemetery, New Plymouth. Followed by a Celebration of Life at the New Plymouth Senior Center, with cookies and punch, at 3 pm.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that you send donations to Cheryl Farley, 838 Grove Rd, Ontario OR 97914. Cheryl provides assistance to the local community, schools and organizations as well as individuals in need of assistance. Condolences may be made to Bonnie’s family at www.shafferjensen.com. Services are under the direction of Shaffer-Jensen Memory Chapel.