Bonnie Jo Oliver

She was born March 9, 1950 to Louis Charles and Josephine (Dazon) Andrews in Hudson, South Dakota. She came home to an older brother Chuck and when she was five welcomed little brother Winston. Life was one of living on a ranch, riding bikes on dirt roads to play with friends and going to a one room school house for several years before having to go to school in the big town (Hudson – population about 500). She loved it. When she was about 13 her family packed up and moved to Livermore, California east of San Francisco and in 1968 she graduated from Amador Union HS in Pleasanton. Working in Real Estate and having her own hair salon she married Earl Aldrich and in 1973 welcomed daughter Charity. Later she married Wayne Kester and gained Cheryl, Cindi and Wayne Jr. as step children. During these years she lived in Nampa, ID, the Coeur d’Alene, ID area and Wausau, WI working as an office manager or accountant at a variety of businesses. In the early 2000’s she moved from Rathdrum, ID to Camas, WA, where she lived with her daughter Cheryl, husband Pete and five grandchildren, then Vancouver, WA. While working as a bookkeeper for the Southwest Washington Humane Society she met Charlie Oliver, fell in love, married and moved to Tigard while retiring from paid work in 2008. A tireless optimist, Bonnie managed remodeling the house while helping Charlie through a health crisis. Both Charlie and the house came out better than ever. Remodeling continued for a couple of years while Bonnie found ways to keep busy with crafting and volunteering. She volunteered with the Red Cross in Portland responding to disasters to help people who suddenly found themselves without a home. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children she helped children who were coming into the custody of the courts, making sure whatever transpired was in the children’s best interest. Joining Charlie, they volunteered to spend cold nights in a shelter for homeless in Tigard. Lately she has been teaching knitting after school at Durham Elementary, started a crafting night (First Friday Friends) at Tigard Community Friends Church (TCFC), was working toward starting a meal program at TCFC as well as being a group leader for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) in Beaverton. In her spare time she joined knitters at the senior center and a newly formed book club. In the past few years, despite time taken to fight breast cancer, she and Charlie managed to travel to the San Juan Islands for a week, ten days going to B&Bs on Vancouver Island, including zip lining down a river, and made two trips to Alaska to visit a granddaughter, including going to her wedding. She also loved going to the coast of Oregon and Washington and looking for agates and other stones. Plans were in place for more travels and she regretted not being able to let us know who was to get the many crafty and family heirlooms in her home.

Her hallmarks include honesty, joy, faithfulness, integrity, humor, courage, spontaneity and more. While a stickler for cleanliness, especially in the kitchen, her family remembers her holding the whole chicken by the wings and making it dance to a silly song, then having it row as in a boat when she put it in the pot. Recently she found out that Sweden had a number you could call and allowing you to talk to a random Swede who had volunteered to take calls. Being half Swede it took her no time at all to make the call and she had a very enjoyable talk with a young man who was very happy to learn that his English was quite good. When Charlie turned impulsively at the sign for zip lining on Vancouver Island, she was the most enthusiastic member of the group. Quickly making friends with the young couple who joined us she made sure we got email addresses to share pictures with each other. When we were all dared to let go of the line she was the first and most enthusiastic to try it.

Since coming to faith through the Alpha program in Idaho, Bonnie’s faith guided her entire life. Her caring for people, respecting others in all ways and constant search for truth all came from the love she felt from God through the people she was surrounded with. In so many ways this faith came from her daughters and continually grew through study and discussions with others, especially Charlie who loved their deep and loving talks. Helping others after disasters (Red Cross), helping people learn English (ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages), representing children in the court system (CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates), leading small groups at Bible Study (BSF – Bible Study Fellowship) and even just fellowshipping at knitting and crafting groups. These were all way that Bonnie tried to live life as Jesus wanted her to.

Bonnie’s enthusiasm, optimism, sense of humor and the rest are sorely missed by those she leaves behind: Charlie in Tigard; brothers Chuck (Mary Ann) and Winston (Dianne) in the Bay Area; children – Charity Weidauer(Lance), Cheryl Emerson(Pete), Cindi Royce(Gabe), Wayne Jr., Kim Goffe(Richard) and Kirsten Oliver; ten grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.