Bonnie Lou Winter, 71, of Chehalis, Wash., passed away Dec. 21, 2019, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, following a brief illness. Bonnie was born in Sioux City, Iowa, Nov. 23, 1948, to Jim and Phyllis Sturgis. Bonnie married Danny Lee Winter in Sioux City March 3, 1973, and the two later relocated to Washington.
Bonnie's favorite memories were of the times spent with her family. She considered her kids and grandkids her greatest blessings. She was their biggest fan of all times, and loved to hear stories of how their day went, how school was going, news about their hobbies, or anything that they considered important. She was the very definition of love, caring, and patience. She enjoyed cooking, baking, crafts and craft bazaars, recipe books, a walk to the park with grandchildren, and fostering animals.
Bonnie always looked forward to the holidays. First came Halloween; she couldn’t wait to buy candy! She would spend the weeks ahead buying candy, filling treat bags, and getting everything staged for the doorbell to ring. On Halloween, she ordered pizza for friends and family that came to enjoy the evening with her. As trick or treaters came to the door, whomever was handing out candy would keep track of their numbers on a sheet of paper. After the porch light was turned off, she would tally the number and share with her guests.
Christmas was another favorite holiday. Bonnie would ask for wish lists from her children and grandchildren several months in advance, and would spend countless hours searching for the perfect gift for each person. She refused to put gifts in bags, and enjoyed wrapping and decorating each package, which would include a special message for the recipient. When her family arrived at the house on Christmas Eve, her face lit up with love and joy. She couldn’t wait to see the smiles on their faces, or feel the hugs that followed as each person opened their gifts.
Bonnie had a passion for helping people and animals. She had a heart much bigger than her body, and was very generous. Her front door was always open, she was always available to sit and listen, cook food for the grandkids, or answer the phone for anyone in need of a favor. She taught us all the meaning of the words faith, love, and honesty.
Bonnie was preceded in death by her son, Stephan Winter; parents, James and Phyllis; and sister, Cheryl Stowe.
She is survived by her husband, Dan Winter; sons, Cody (Song Mi) Winter, of Busan, Korea, Jason Winter, of Benton City, Wash., and Brent Winter, of Mossyrock, Wash.; daughters, Tami (Chris) McCallum, of Centralia, Wash., Shannon (Brian) Clevenger, of Winlock, Wash., and Jamie Winter, of Chehalis; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m, Friday, Jan. 3, 2019, at Sticklin Funeral Chapel, 1437 S. Gold St, Centralia. A reception will follow the service at Lewis and Clark Hotel, 117 W. Magnolia St, also in Centralia.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lewis County Animal Shelter.
Love, Hugs and Prayers
