Louise “Meme” Bonner was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 27, 1943, and spent the next eight decades proving that a little grit, a lot of humor and a touch of stubbornness can take a woman just about anywhere she wants to go. She passed away peacefully at her home in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, surrounded by love. Louise was wild as a bearcat, feisty, funny and absolutely unafraid to speak her mind. Everyone knew not to mess around and find out, but they also knew she’d be the first one to show up when someone needed help. She lived by her own code: work hard, play hard, have a good laugh and feed the masses. She is survived by her son Mike Bonner and his wife, Keely Bonner, of Sunset, Texas; grandchildren: Garrett and Jessica Bonner and their daughter, Olivia, of Maysville, Oklahoma; Brittany Bonner of Boulder, Colorado; Milee Bonner of Norman, Oklahoma; Leah Brown and her son, Brodun, of Sarasota, Florida; Chealsi Hendrix and her children, Raighen, Grayson and Salem, of Shawnee, Oklahoma; Faith Magdaleno and her children, Neiko and Noah, of Clarksville, Arkansas; and her sister, Patricia Peterson, of Paoli, Oklahoma. She also leaves behind countless nieces, nephews, extended grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and of course, all of the family friends and neighbors who were quietly and without question adopted into the family throughout the years. All who will carry her stories (and a little of her sass) well into the next generation. She is preceded in death by her love, Jim Bonner; her daughter, Jamie Michelle Bonner; her mother, Thelma Pruegert; and her brothers, Paul Linville and Leonard Miller — all of whom are no doubt saving her a good seat and a strong cup of sweet tea.
Louise spent much of her life doing things her own way. Whether it was ice skating through the bar ditches around Newfoundland’s countryside as a child, hitchhiking to Tucumcari, New Mexico, at the age of 13 with a good buddy, or hauling herself to Los Angeles, California, on a Harley at the age of 19, she was always looking for an adventure. Much of her career was spent with a paintbrush in one hand and a roller in the other. She worked as a painter, paper hanger and drywaller in the shared business with Jim and later ran the family owned corner store in Paoli, Oklahoma, where she slung the best burgers in town. For 11 years she greeted the community with a smile at Leonard’s and Lou’s or at Pat’s Stop-NGo. She was the kind of neighbor everyone knew and could count on, the kind of woman who kept a small town stitched together through kindness, loyalty and a little bit of mischief.
She loved the OU Sooners, camping with family, going out dancing, pool sharking, winning twist competitions, shooting guns and riding motorcycles. She surrounded herself with animals her entire life. Her love poured into her dogs, cats, birds, turtles and even an armadillo once. Because her heart had room for everyone, no matter how many legs they had.
Louise’s humor, fairness and fierce love left a mark on everyone who knew her. And in those quiet moments at home with a grandkid or great-grandkid on her lap while reading them a children’s book of their choosing, she’d say the words her family will hold onto forever: “Love I You.”
To honor her wishes, there will be no memorial service. This may be a shock to some, but as you can tell by reading this, she has always done things her own way. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to donate to the American Heart Society or a local animal shelter like PAWS or the Humane Society. You can also sign up to volunteer with your local community members to make sure everyone is fed and clothed.
Services for cremation are under the direction of Stufflebean-Coffey Funeral Home.
We invite you to send words of comfort to the family at stufflebeanfuneralhome. com.
