Bonnie Mae Whitaker Newman

December 26, 1940 – June 5, 2024

On the morning of June 5, 2024 at the age of 83, our mother Bonnie Mae Whitaker Newman peacefully transitioned to her Heavenly Home, where she was reunited with many loved ones, most especially the love of her life, our dad Arthur Lincoln Newman.

How do you describe the impact of a mother on her children?  She is our heartbeat.  She is the gentle hand that shaped us and molded us into what we are today.  She is the legacy that we've passed on to our own children.  She is a monumental force of nature with a tender touch.  She is the unassuming wind beneath our wings.

Now multiply that by the 1000s of lives she touched as a daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, wife, mother-in-law, grandmother, friend, and even stranger.  Bonnie showed us all the power of true and genuine kindness that exudes from someone who is so pure of heart.

Born in Amarillo, Texas, Bonnie was surrounded by family, which was surely the guiding force in her life.  She was sweet and playful, helpful and devoted, studious and also a cheerleader.  However, we kids (admittedly biased) feel that Mom found her Purpose when she met Dad.  They completed each other.  Mom absolutely adored Dad, and Dad could often be heard saying, "I'd be nothing without your mother!"  It was a love for The Ages!  They built a life and a family that was most often played out in locations far from their other loved ones, but that only tightened the bond we all had with each other.  They broadened their horizons with travel by car, plane, or motorhome across the U.S., Canada, London, and Paris.  Through it all, Mom was the cornerstone, although she was always too selfless to have ever described herself that way.

She was absolutely legendary for her cooking, from 100 ways to cook eggs, to turkey jerky, fish fries, Christmas cookies, caramels and other goodies, to Grandma's Famous Kool-Aid, and she could whip up meals for big family gatherings while making it look easy.  Of course, the pinnacle of her cooking was the simplicity of breakfasts on an island on Lake Nipissing, Canada with the loons singing, and the fish biting.  She was a planner and a list-maker, but could roll with any situation.  When life tossed some curveballs, she pivoted with grace.  She was a career mom, pilot's wife, a bookkeeper, an emu farmer, an RV dealership owner and office manager.  She was a boundless supporter of her family, from ballgame stands, to graduations, to productions and weddings.  She had the best wit and sense of humor, and would often laugh until she cried.  We'd all join in, because she was infectious like that!  She made everyone feel like Christmas morning, all year long.

Bonnie and Art had 4 children, 13 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren, along with the special bonus family members that were heartily welcomed as each person spread their wings.  How lucky are we to have loved and been loved by someone so silently heroic, and to have the impact on our lives of this truly beautiful soul, Bonnie Mae Whitaker Newman!

On her 80th birthday, we sent out a simple message to those who have known and loved Mom.  "Who would like to share a favorite memory of your time with Mom?"  We filled a book, and then some!  Yet, we'd love to hear more of your stories and the love you had for Bonnie.

Please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association in Bonnie's memory in lieu of flowers.  You can visit www.alz.org and search her name under Tribute Pages.  A visitation will be held at Mulkey-Bowles-Montgomery Funeral Home, 705 North Locust in Denton, Texas on Sunday, June 16 from 12-1:30, with a Memorial Service beginning at 1:30.  A brief service and interment will be on Monday, June 17 from 2:30-2:50 at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery where she will have eternal rest with Art.

Alzheimer's Association Tribute Page link