Bonnie Lee Nelson

Bonnie was born October 28, 1941in Greenville, Maine to Isaac “Nick” Hanson and Emily (Mellish) Hanson.

In 1961 Bonnie made the move from Greenville to Portland, ME to attend beauty school, where she went on to meet and marry Vincent Bruni and had their only child Michael, which everyone knew (as the saying goes) was the ‘apple of her eye’.

In addition to working as a beautician, Bonnie also worked for Dr. Paulsner to help support her and Michael as she began her quest of being a single mother to Michael prior to meeting the love of her life, Donald J. Nelson.

Donald and Bonnie were introduced to each other by a mutual friend in 1969 and they wed October 14, 1971. Together Donald and Bonnie lived a wonderful life on Cumberland Foreside. Throughout their nearly 27 years of marriage they enjoyed the arts/theatre, boating, playing golf and tennis, skiing, traveling and hosting events for their family and friends at their beautiful home.

After Donald passed away suddenly in 1998 Bonnie stoically picked up the pieces and moved forward and continued the legacy of what her and Donald had built with their family and friends and lived some of the best years of her life being a Bubbie to her 2 grandsons, Antonio and Dominic Bruni. Anyone that knew Bonnie knew with certainty that they were her pride and joy. Bonnie truly enjoyed introducing them to shopping for ‘the perfect outfit’, fine dining wherever they wanted to go, which most often ended up being the Portland Country club where she was a member for over 50 years because that meant there was also golf, tennis or swimming in the pool involved before or after lunch/dinner. Introducing them to a life she had enjoyed for many years, and having an opportunity to ‘show them off’ to her friends brought her great joy. Bonnie loved to brag about how smart they were, how handsome they were, and she never missed an opportunity to talk about the enjoyment she got out of attending the majority of their sporting events.

Bonnie also loved to spend time at her cottage on Sebec Lake in Willimantic, ME. She spent the majority of the summer months up there with her girlfriends enjoying boating, kayaking, cooking fancy dinners, drinking wine on the porch, and visiting with new and old friends she had met up there. But the greatest highlight of her summers at the lake was the one week each year that she and her friend Diane hosted ‘Grammie Camp’ for the grandkids. In true Bonnie fashion, she made elaborate meals, decorated the cottage for whatever the theme of the meal was, and ensured that the kids had a great deal of fun activities that they would participate in throughout the week.

Bonnie was best known for her warm, loving, outgoing personality. You would be hard pressed to find someone that had met Bonnie to not remember her for her fun loving, gregariousness presence. When Bonnie entered a room, you knew she was there whether it be from her beautifully put together outfit, where EVERYTHING matched, to her contagious laugh. Whenever Bonnie’s name was mentioned, if someone knew her, their response was ‘oh my gosh I love Bonnie’, right up until she passed. She always made you feel like you were the most important person in the world to her and always looked for ways to put a smile on your face.

When not spending time with her family or traveling on golf trips and cruises with her friends, you would find Bonnie volunteering her time. Bonnie spent many years volunteering at the Blind Resource Center, The Cedars, Mercy Hospital and as a State lifetime member/volunteer for the Cumberland and Longfellow Garden Clubs. Her passion for helping others was infectious and she had an undeniable talent for creating stunning floral arrangements, some of which were created and displayed during the holiday tours at the Victoria Mansion.

Bonnie was predeceased by her parents, Nick and Emily Hanson, her only sibling, Nicholas Hanson, and her loving husband Donald J. Nelson.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Julie Bruni of Limington, ME, grandsons Antonio Bruni of Boston, MA, Dominic Bruni of Portland, ME, nephew Todd Hanson of Greenville, ME and a great deal of friends and extended family.

The family would like to thank the amazing staff at Stroudwater Lodge and Avita of Stroudwater for the care that they provided to Bonnie over the last few years while helping Bonnie through her later in life journey with dementia.

A celebration of life will be held at the Portland Country Club on May 21st from 5:00 – 7:00pm, and the family will hold a private burial in Greenville, ME later in the summer.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, 383 US-1, #2C, Scarborough, ME 04074.