Bonnie Kay Byrnes

Bonnie Kay (Aaby) Byrnes, 86, passed away peacefully on January 4, 2024 with her husband, Emmett, her two daughters and her grandson by her side. Although we miss her greatly it is a blessing to know her long and difficult journey with dementia is finally over.

Bonnie was born on August 24, 1937 in Centralia, WA to Edward Sherrill & Bessie (Keithahn) Sherrill. Her biological father passed away when she was just two years old and her mother soon remarried to George Aaby. Bessie and George raised Bonnie and her siblings in Auburn, WA. Bonnie graduated from Auburn High School as valedictorian of her class and was the piano accompanist for the school choir. While in school, she developed close friendships with several girlfriends and stayed in contact with them for the rest of her life. After attending Washington State College for a short time, Bonnie returned to Auburn to work at Boeing where she met and fell in love with Emmett Byrnes. Their romance was strong and sure and they were wed on October 12, 1957 after just a few months of dating. She and Emmett raised a beautiful family together, living in several US cities before finally settling in Yakima, WA, in 1974. Bonnie was active in the local bowling league and eventually fell in love with tennis and became an accomplished tennis player. She and Emmett enjoyed the fun and lasting friendships they made at the Yakima Tennis Club. Bonnie was also an active volunteer and valued giving back to the community. She was a member of the Yakima Women’s Century Club, the Leslie Louden Hospital Guild. Bonnie was very active in the PTA at her children’s schools, being awarded the Golden Acorn Award for her exceptional PTA service. She was an accomplished pianist, an avid reader and moviegoer, and was always ready with a joke and a laugh. She and Emmett found their greatest enjoyment socializing with friends, traveling the world, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Given the difficulties of planning a memorial service that all could attend, the family feels it would be far more celebratory to gather or connect as we’re able, to laugh and cry and share stories of Bonnie's life and the many good memories we all hold.

Please take a moment to remember Bonnie and to reflect on your happy memories with her. Emmett and the family would cherish any sentiments or stories you would like to share. In lieu of flowers, we hope you will consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Association in Bonnie’s memory. A link to her Tribute Page can be found here: http://act.alz.org/goto/BonnieByrnes

Bonnie is preceded in death by her sons; Kelly and Mark Byrnes, and her parents, George and Bessie Aaby. She is survived by her husband Emmett Byrnes, her two daughters Beverly Laird (David) and Diana Springer (Matt), and her four grandchildren Dillon and Jared Laird, and Hayden and Rielly Springer. She is also survived by her sister, Alice (Aaby) O’Kelly, her brother James Aaby and her brother Patrick Aaby, as well as many friends and extended family members. To leave a memory for the family please visit keithandkeith.com