Water is symbolic of birth, refreshment, power, and purification. It lulls us with a mother's gentle
rocking, a rhythmic ebb and flow. Water is powerful and transformative, a driving force of change. It
can be quietly persistent in its quest to smooth rough edges, teaching us to persevere. Water is the
perfect metaphor for Bonnie K Perkins, who embodied what it meant to be both a reckoning force, and
a tenderhearted friend.
What we do in life ripples in eternity. We send these ripples into the world having touched it with our
unique purpose. Bonnie? She was more than just a ripple. She was a splash. From the children she
taught throughout her career, to the coworkers who appreciated her wise advice, the number of lives
touched by this one woman is immeasurable.
Bonnie brought the humor to a serious game of dominoes or cards. After soundly trouncing you, she
was willing to feed you the world's best chicken and dumplings. You might learn a hard lesson from
her, but she never left you without the comfort of her kindness. She was formidable, yet soft. She loved
gambling, crosswords, dangly earrings, and her Café Francais instant coffee. Intelligent and quick-
witted, her humor was like a bolt of lightning – bright, and a little dangerous.
She loved her daughter Amanda with the whole of her heart. Amanda once purchased a coffee mug for
her that said "Mom, you are the best mother in the universe" and it was the truth.
Born to be a mother to many, she took the opportunity to be a maternal figure in so many lives.
Whether it was her students, or friends of her daughter, Amanda, Bonnie was ready to treat these
children as her own. If you were once a Bonnie's Kid, you were always a Bonnie's Kid. So many earned a
place in her heart.
Bonnie is survived by many friends and family members, who will cherish her memory every day.
Particularly mourning Bonnie are her daughter Amanda (Dwayne) Anderson, sisters Connie (John) Karrer
and Vickie (Gary) Pierson, and nephew Jake Williams. Also, friends Kim Britton, and Catherine Hayes.
Amanda asks visitors to wear purple, Bonnie's favorite color, in celebration of her life.
Please send memorials to St. Jude Children's Hospital or the ASPCA.
Bonnie K Perkins was born February 15, 1948 and passed to her heavenly home May 11, 2021.