In Memory
Bonnie Adora Jones
Oct. 15, 1931 - Jan. 9, 2014
Bonnie Adora Jones, 83, residing in South Bend, IN, passed away at 6:40 AM Thursday, January 9, 2014, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Mishawaka, from complications of COPD. Bonnie was born on October 15, 1931, in Los Angeles, California, to the late Lloyd Ervin and Ruby Mae (Quier) Weller. She grew up in the South Bend area, graduating from Central High School in 1949.
She was a lifetime member of the gymnastics club, Turners of Michiana. She enjoyed living in several different states including California, North & South Carolina, and Florida, but South Bend has always been her "home." She was affectionately known as "Miss Bonnie." She was a big lover of animals, especially her dogs. As a young woman, Bonnie worked as Hostess for many of South Bend's finer restaurants. She became a seamstress and then bridal consultant and owner of the Adora-Boquette Bridal Shoppe in Elkhart, IN, during the 1960s-1970s. She helped hundreds of brides create their dream weddings and designed and sewed many of their gowns. Bonnie was a creative writer and had one book published, titled "Angel Mountain." She developed the Eastern Literary Fellowship (ELF), a creative writing group, and managed several book writing seminars. Bonnie enjoyed singing, directing and stage productions. She owned her own theatre, the Carousel Playhouse in Clinton, SC, where she created magical productions for the community for many years. She taught costume design at colleges in the Carolinas. She was involved in the Miss America beauty pageants, and had several children's pageants in the Carolinas. Bonnie organized and taught hundreds of children over the years in her singing and dancing troupe called "The Little People." They performed at local parades and events in Florida and the Carolinas, and at Walt Disney World in Florida, and at the White House in Washington, D.C.
Bonnie moved back to South Bend in 2010, reunited with her high school friends and the Turners, and then started "The Golden Troubadours," a singing group made up of elders who perform at local events and for nursing homes. She was a flea market entrepreneur for many years. She was happy and busy to the end...and she touched a lot of lives in many different ways!
On May 14, 1981, in Ocala, Florida, she was united in marriage to Billy George Jones, who preceded her in death in 2010. Bonnie was also preceded in death by a son (Steven Howard), a great-grandchild (Kaleigh Beringer), and two sisters, Frances Nettrour and Ilah (Tiny) Seaman. She is survived by her daughters, Marcia Yrineo of South Bend and Kimberly (James) Neal of Clinton, SC; sons, Larry Howard of High Point, NC, Kelly (Sandra) Howard of Hays, NC, and Thomas Iazetto of Hickory, NC; 19 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren & 1 great-great-grandchild; two sisters, Alecia Burris and Nola Weller; and two brothers, Jack Weller and Lloyd Weller Jr.
There will be no services. Family and friends will gather at Potawatomi Zoo in the spring to celebrate her life. Palmer Funeral Home-River Park, and Southlawn Cremation Services assisted the family with arrangements.
Published in South Bend Tribune on Jan. 12, 2014
Note: Her obituary was so extensive I felt it needed to be added as it was written, however I did exclude the memorial contributions.
09/22/2022 DEC
|