Bonnie Twitchell

Bonnie was born in 1953, in Albuquerque, NM to the late Hiram and Rhoda (Stagner) McKinney. She was a 1971 graduate of Highland High School in Albuquerque, NM.

After high school, Bonnie moved to the Carolinas where she spent the rest of her life. In the early 80’s, Bonnie had a hobby as an avid painter and most of her work included acrylic paints on glass. Later, she did many other crafts such as silk flower arrangements, quilting, sewing, upholstery, and t-shirts. She often went to craft shows and even sold some of her goods at local craft markets. Bonnie also had a love for plants and flowers and could often be found walking around her yard to see what was in bloom.

Bonnie's life’s work included the insurance business for 40+ years, mostly in the commercial transportation field. She worked for Benton and Parker (Pointe North) for 26 years as a Senior Account Executive.

In 2000, Bonnie bought a golden retriever, Pella. She often said that Pella was a “wild child'' and needed to be trained. The enrollment in training classes led to her love for competitive dog obedience competitions. She had a love for dogs, owning four golden retrievers through the years and often would say they kept her young. Bonnie was involved in many different dog groups around the Greenville area. She trained two of her Golden Retrievers to be service dogs and three of them were trained therapy dogs. Bonnie volunteered her time with the Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue and often took her dogs to the children’s unit/hospital as therapy dogs. Bonnie's persistence in obedience training led her to earn the highest award, Obedience Trial Champion, for three of her Golden Retrievers (Pella, Clover and Dallas). Field competition and dock diving were two other events that she trained in. She sincerely loved helping others train and be a part of their journey in dog competitions. Bonnie and her family have received many accounts of her dedication to dog training and shows. Her legacy and achievements will be remembered for many years to come.

If she wasn’t dog training or crafting, you could find Bonnie out on the boat with her husband. She enjoyed the lake and taking the dogs to swim. Bonnie enjoyed traveling with Mike and they took cross country trips together. She had a love for the mountains and enjoyed just taking a drive to see them. Her times spent with grandchildren would always brighten her day. Bonnie loved to shop and enjoyed girl’s weekends with her daughters/nieces. She was also an active member of Pelham Road Baptist Church in which she cherished her Sunday school class.

She is preceded in death by her parents, sister Deborah Smith, and brother Robert McKinney. She leaves behind her loving husband, Michael R. Twitchell, two daughters/nieces Rhoda McCrimmon (Brent) and Gwen Gibson (Matthew) and stepson Michael A. Twitchell (Ashley). She also leaves behind four grandchildren, Sara, Jake, Claire, and Ava.

Bonnie’s Memorial Service (Celebration of Her Life) will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to FootHills Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc. (FHGRR, Inc.) P.O. Box 9077, Greenville, SC 29604.