Bonita P Currey

Bonita “Bonnie” Currey-Stamps passed away peacefully on February 3, 2021 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was born Bonita Lee Peterson on September 29, 1946 in Moline, Illinois, to parents LeRoy and Edna. Living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she married Tom Currey in 1967 and moved to Chattanooga, his hometown, where they raised four children. She later married John Stamps in 2010.

Bonnie spent much of her life dedicated to medical and mental health initiatives, having started her calling volunteering and committing her time to many local organizations, including serving as the President of both the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Auxiliary and the Mental Health Associated of Greater Chattanooga.

In 1986, Bonnie was one of the founding members of the AIM Center in Chattanooga, a non-profit organization providing psychosocial rehabilitation to adults living with serious mental illness. She spent 25 years as President and Executive Director of AIM, before retiring in 2013. During that time, the organization grew exponentially and attained international recognition in the mental health community.

She served on multiple mental health committees, commissions, and boards and received numerous awards and recognitions, at both the local and state level. Her legacy will live on with the AIM Center and the thousands of lives that she and her work have touched over the years.

Bonnie’s retirement years were spent with her friends and family, serving her church, and traveling the world. She was a strong believer in her faith and was a member of Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church.

She served on the Vestry and spearheaded the “Growth and Preservation” capital campaign. Bonnie’s friends and family will remember her as a mother and a friend, as a leader and teacher, and as a confidant. She was an elegant and gracious woman with a personality that brought joy and friendship to all those who encountered her.

Bonnie is survived by her husband, John Stamps; children Jeff (Tracey) Currey, Byron Currey, Todd Currey, and Ashley Currey; and her grandchildren Ella Grace and Anna Kathryn. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Kim (Tom) Roberts, David (Kat) Stamps, and Hunter (Amelia) Stamps; and step-grandchildren, Sage, Eliza, River, Brooklyn, and Madison. She was preceded in death by her parents; two half-brothers, Chuck and Bill; and sister, Ruth Ann Everett.

Due to COVID restrictions, the family will hold a private service. There will be an open Celebration of Life for Bonnie to honor her memory when the pandemic allows.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Bonnie’s memory to the AIM Center, 472 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN, 37402 or to Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church, 1607 W. 43rd Street, Chattanooga, TN 37409.

Arrangements entrusted to Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services Franklin -Strickland Chapel, 1724 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, 37404, 423-265-4414. Please visit our website to share your memories: www.advantagefranklin-strickland.com