Bonnie Jean Meeker

Bonnie Meeker Obituary
10:30 AM, August 25, 2014
Mt. Olive Cemetery, Laurel, Oregon

Bonnie Jean Meeker was born July 9, 1928 in Laurel to William and Ida Kleier on the family property, the middle of three children. She attended Laurel School and Hillsboro High School and was raised in the Lutheran Church.

While working a local prune orchard, picking prunes off the ground, she noticed a young man shaking the prune trees his name was Bob Meeker, and they were married on August 17, 1947 at Hillsboro.

Bonnie worked for the telephone company in Portland and in a factory in California, and for 20 years worked as a data entry operator. For many years she delivered The Oregonian newspaper to the local area. Something unique to Bonnie: I am told that while delivering The Oregonian she would wear a motorcycle helmet-inside her car!

In 1952-53 they moved back to Oregon. Following Bob's service in the US Army, he worked in small engine repair in Sandy, and later built homes here in Laurel on land that has been in Bonnie's family for over 100 years.

Five children were born to Bonnie and Bob: Mark, Janet, Paul, Alan, and Pamela.

Bonnie knew Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and expressed her faith through her attentive faithfulness as a wife, mother and grandmother. Additionally, she served in many capacities at Laurel Community Church: choir, financial secretary for may years, office work, and custodial work (when she was nearly 80 years old!).

In addition to reading, knitting, and enjoying animals, Bonnie loved to travel. She visited the Holy Land, London, Greece, the Great Wall of China, the Suez Canal, Kenya (where she refused to eat wildebeest!), Alaska, the Panama Canal, and Hawaii (which she visited at least 10 times!)

When asked in an interview for the church newsletter how her children would describe her, she replied, "I think they would say I'm a good mother. I'm a good cook. We have wonderful family dinners."

When asked what would be something others would be surprised to learn about her, she replied that she had gone parasailing in Hawaii! When she was 65 years old!

It was clear that Bonnie loved her church family. When asked in that interview what she would like to say to the Laurel Church family, she replied, "I want everyone to know that I appreciate the way they always stand by me during some difficult times."

Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents and by her two brothers.
She is survived by her husband, Bob Meeker; her five children and their spouses, 12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.

Bonnie passed into Christ's presence on Wednesday, August 20, 2014, at home in Laurel at 86 years of age. It is significant that on more than one occasion in the past few weeks Bonnie commented to her husband , "Bob, I want to go home." She's now there with Jesus.

Following this graveside service, all are invited to a light lunch and fellowship with Bonnie's family at Laurel Community Church.