Patty Bonney 2018

October 17, 1930 to October 22, 2022

Particia Haines Woodard Bonney was born October 17, 1930 in Great Falls, Montana to Francis D Haines Sr and Plesah Macdonald joining siblings Francis Jr and Marjory. The family was often on the move as her dad moved up in the teaching ranks and pursued his doctorate in history UC Berkeley. They also spent many summers traveling as he researched projects and collected Indian artifacts. With all of the moves, Mom rarely spent more than one year at a school. She graduated from Lewiston High School in Idaho at age 16.

Mom married her first husband, Elvin Woodard, at age 17 and had her first child, Ken, one month after turning 18. Twenty months later Keith was added to the family with Carolyn arriving twenty months after that. By that time, 1953, Mom and the three kids moved to Monmouth Oregon where her dad was Chair of the History Department at the then Oregon College of Education now Western Oregon University. In 1956, Mom moved to Portland and began working in the Portland State College (PSU) Registrar’s Office. The kids moved up and attended Shattuck Grade School from 1956 to 1960 when the family moved to Garden Home after Mom married William ‘Bill’ Bonney.

Mom and Dad made two additions to the family with Alan in 1964 and Regina in 1966. Ken was in the last 8th grade class at Garden Home while Keith and Carolyn were the first 8th and 7th grade classes at Whitford Junior High. Carolyn was in the first 9th grade class at Whitford. All five kids graduated from GH with four of us attending Whitford and then all five off to Beaverton HS

Dad/Bill had bought two adjoining properties on Oleson Road in 1958 which totaled about 2.5 acres. The house was originally a horse stable that had been converted to a house. It was a tight fit but we made it work. The area behind the house was wooded and swampy but made for a great play area and a shortcut to Alden and our friends who lived in that direction.

Bill passed away in 1976. Mom was determined to stay on the property and did so for 62 years. Ken bought one of the two properties and built a house next door. The growth and changes in Garden Home and along Oleson Road as with most things had some good and some not so good effects. Sidewalks a plus, traffic not so much, etc.

To stay busy and useful, Mom volunteered at Garden Home School helping many kids with their reading and connecting with many of the staff and faculty. She also joined multiple groups with varied interests (knitting, square dancing, extension, etc) and set about traveling the country and the world. She was an avid reader her whole life beginning at the age of three and wanted to explore all of the wonderful places she had spent a lifetime reading about. She made many trips culminating with a nine month trip around the world making friends along the way.

Mom was an active member of the First Congregational Church on the park blocks in Portland for 64 years where she taught Sunday school for many years. She loved riding the bus wherever her destination might be. She was known by many as the knitting lady, others knew her as the cookie lady. Her favorite building in Portland besides her church was the Multnomah County Library with its thousands of books and therefore horizons to explore.

Mom passed away Saturday October 22. She leaves behind all five children, two grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren along with nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

[Thank you to Keith Woodard for writing the above about his mother. Read more about Patty Bonney in our story Patty Bonney and son Ken Woodard.]