KINGSLEY — Boneita "Bonnie" R. Deo was born on June 22 to Lucas and Dora (Srackangast) Knight in Buckley. She was the eldest of seven children. Bonnie married Richard Deo Jr. on Sept. 22, 1950, and they spent their married life on a farm on Summit City Road in Kingsley.

Bonnie worked for many years at Burwoods Manufacturing in Traverse City and following that ran an adult foster care home for over 20 years. After closing the foster care home Bonnie opened The Quilt Connection, which she operated until last year when poor health forced her retirement. She had many clients throughout the United States that sent their quilts to her to have them finished.

Bonnie taught herself many types of handiwork and she was very gifted. She could knit, embroider, sew, crochet, quilt and tat (lace work) very beautifully. Her family members were the proud recipients of many wonderful projects that she made.

Bonnie is survived by her five children, Christine (Gary) Reamer, of Kingsley, Susan (Stephen) Saxton, of Coral Springs, Florida, Steven (Vickie) Deo, of Grand Rapids, Glenda (Alger) Fraleigh, of Fort Gratiot, and Deanna (Ken) Peterman, of Centreville, Virginia. Bonnie also leaves behind 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, with one on the way. She also has one step granddaughter, nine step great-grandchildren, four step great-great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Bonnie is also survived by her brother, Alfred Knight, of Kingsley; her sisters, Eleanor (Ralph) Wasson, of DeWitt, and Linda Luotonen, of Sterling Heights; and her sister-in-law, Kathryn Snyder, of Kingsley.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard in 2009; her sister, Lucy DeNoyer; brothers, El Jay (still born) and John Knight; sister-in-law, Wilma Culver; and brothers-in-law, Jack Snyder, John Luotonen, James DeNoyer and Donald Culver.

A memorial gathering will be held on Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.

Please feel free to share your memories with Boneita's family by way of her online guestbook at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com .

Arrangements for the family have been entrusted to Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.