Bonnie Virginia Boyd of Wilmington, Delaware, age 96, passed away peacefully on the evening of Wednesday, June 7, 2023 in her home at Maris Grove in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.
Bonnie is survived by her five children, Nancy Boyd, Karen Boyd, Steven (Sue) Boyd, Carol (Ramiro) Negrin, Margie (Victor) Cordiano; her eight grandchildren, Michael (Joan) Vigneulle, Julie Roopenian, Ally (Matthew) Heiger, Kendall (Geoffrey) Tucker, Kara Kennard, Devon (Spencer) Sasarita [father Mark Kennard], Hannah McCormick, and Victor Cordiano Jr.; and her eleven great-grandchildren, Kayla, Sadie, Evan, Lilah, Frank, Tenley, Harlyn, Knox, Marlowe, Ari, and Issac. She was predeceased by her husband, Don A. Boyd, her brother, Charles Kinkade, and her sister, Dolores Ann Salmen.
Bonnie was born on April 3, 1927 in Downs, Kansas to the late Robert T. and Margaret M. (Frost) Kinkade. As a child and teenager, Bonnie spent idyllic summers on her grandmother Kinkade’s farm, where she enjoyed growing up in the company of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Bonnie graduated from Superior High School in 1945, and married Don Boyd in Superior, Nebraska on August 22, 1948. She attended the University of Nebraska for two years and left college to support her husband while he attended law school. Bonnie and Don welcomed their first two daughters (Nancy, 1952; Karen, 1954) in Lincoln, Nebraska and then a son (Steven, 1957) while living at their home in Kansas City, Missouri. The family then moved to Wilmington, Delaware in 1960. There they welcomed two more daughters (Carol, 1961; Margaret, 1964) and lived for more than 50 years at their family home in the North Graylyn Crest subdivision in Wilmington, Delaware.
For more than 65 years, Bonnie was a devoted wife, homemaker, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She took incredible pride in this work. She was a wonderful cook and always kept an immaculately clean house. Bonnie especially enjoyed ironing, and spent several hours each week diligently completing this task.
Bonnie’s Christian faith also shaped her life in many ways. She, along with her husband, was a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware for more than 60 years. Bonnie also had a beautiful voice and sang in the Aldersgate choir for many decades. Bonnie was a kind woman and had a servant’s heart—dedicating her time and talents to several organizations over the years. She loved serving in many different roles at church, attending Bible studies, and preparing food and meals for church events. Bonnie also enjoyed many decades of participation volunteering in the ticket office for the Brandywiners, where she shared her love of theater alongside her husband and the community.
She loved to entertain and was an incredible cook. In the summertime, her countertops were flooded with jars of homemade strawberry jam or with fresh bread-and-butter pickles—a coveted commodity among the family—made with cucumbers from Don’s backyard garden. Bonnie was an avid bridge player and for many years hosted monthly bridge club in her home.
Bonnie was a gifted seamstress and loved to knit, crochet, and needlepoint in her spare time. Over the years, she enjoyed knitting sweaters for her family and crocheting baby blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Bonnie was also a talented pianist, and was able to sight-read any music put in front of her—much to the delight of her friends and family. She and her husband also enjoyed traveling together over the years.
The thing that brought Bonnie the most joy in her life was her family.
Over the later years of her life, Bonnie was assisted by many caregivers. Four of her caregivers were with her for the past 5 years. The family owes a special debt of gratitude to her caregivers (from Synergy HomeCare) Roseline, Awa and Diane who were an invaluable support system. A special heartfelt thanks to Marva, who went above and beyond the title of caregiver, tirelessly taking loving care of Bonnie in so many ways, making sure all of her many needs were addressed. Vitas Healthcare also did an exceptional job of providing Bonnie with care during this last year.
Memorial services for Bonnie will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 23, 2023 at McCrery & Harra funeral home: 3924 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Delaware, 19803. Friends and family are welcome to offer condolences from 10:00 a.m. until the service begins.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Vitas Healthcare (Hospice) at vitascommunityconnection.org or the Dementia Society of America at dementiasociety.org.
For online condolences visit: www.mccreryandharra.com
