Bonnie (BonBon) Clark

CLARK, Bonnie Marlene – It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of Bonnie (BonBon) Clark on Monday, August 20, 2018 at the age of 69. Much loved daughter of the late Onetta and R.S. Clark. Predeceased by her brother John and her sister Patricia. Bonnie will be missed by her aunts Doris Chouinor and Bernice Bouice, her cousin Muriel Rocque and her nephews Chris and Jordan McBain. Bonnie will be especially missed by the staff and her friends at Community Living Algoma. Friends and family may visit at the Arthur Funeral Home – Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. East 705-759-2522) on Friday, August 24, 2018 from 1 until 2 pm. Funeral service to follow in the chapel at 2:30 pm Mrs. Helen Smith officiating. Interment Greenwood Cemetery. Memorial contributions to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or Community Living Algoma would be appreciated.

Funeral Service for Bonnie Clark

August 24, 2018

Carry In: Now I Belong to Heaven

Friends we have gathered here this afternoon

acknowledging the sacredness of life.

For a human life is truly sacred

Sacred in its being born

Sacred in its living and

Sacred in its dying.

We gather for many reasons.

We gather to celebrate the joys and sorrows of life.

To say goodbye to Bonnie, the one who we have known and loved.

Together we also struggle to put some meaning into what has happened.

And we gather to seek and to offer support and comfort for one another.

But the most important reason we gather is because of love.

The love we felt and feel for Bonnie

The love we feel for one another.

As we begin this time of remembrance

I would encourage you to take a moment

think about a special memory you have of Bonnie,

maybe it was her beautiful blue eyes

or maybe it was her special giggle

just take a moment now to think of that memory

and to hold it in your heart and your mind

as together we celebrate the life of Bonnie.

Let us pray:

Merciful and loving God

we come into your presence

seeking comfort and hope for the future.

Gather up our lingering fears;

meet our doubts with compassion and understanding.

Touch us with the warmth of your spirit,

that we may know the healing power of your love,

not only for Bonnie but also for ourselves.

Open us to the wonderful memories

that lie within our hearts,

to the stories we have to share,

and to the thanks we offer.

We ask for strength for today,

courage for tomorrow,

and peace for the past. AMEN

Scripture:

Luke 12

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

John 14:1-3

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

May God bless to our understanding these words.

May the give us courage, strength and hope in the days ahead.

On a day like today we gather with broken hearts, we gather with a feeling of unbelief and a huge sense of loss. These are valid and very real feelings, but knowing Bonnie I think that through the sadness and tears we need to make a place for celebration

I know that there are so many feelings we bring sadness, emptiness and unreality - a feeling that we just cannot believe what has happened but also thankfulness for the blessing of her life.

We also bring memories of Bonnie, she has been a big part of your lives and today we give thanks for those memories, We may smile about some of them, laugh out loud about some, groan about some and even cry about some. But together we share and celebrate the person that Bonnie was and indeed still is to each one of you.

Bonnie was born August 9, 1949 in South Porcupine, the daughter or RS and Onetta Clark. She had one brother John and a sister Patricia. At a young age Bonnie was sent to the Rideau Regional Centre, in Smith Falls, where she would live until 2008 when she returned to Sault Ste Marie, eventually settling into the Group Home on Salisbury Avenue. Here she was able to see more of her mother. Her nephews, aunts and cousins were able to send her parcels and the staff would keep them up to date with what was happening in Bonnie’s life.

Bonnie’s mom may not have been able to be there all the time for Bonnie but she loved her and made sure everything was taken care of for her. It was important that Bonnie be cared for.

The move to the Sault was a pivotal one in Bonnie’s life. It truly gave her life. She found her stride and blossomed under the care of the amazing staff. Bonnie was small in stature, a tiny little thing, but she had the soul of a lion, in her soul she was six feet tall. She could be feisty and she knew her own mind and wasn’t going to change it for anyone.

On the whole Bonnie was sweet. She loved coffee and staff didn’t dare put their coffee down because she could sniff it out. She could be in her room and if you came in with a Tim Horton’s coffee she was down the hall and looking for it. She would steal it the minute you put it down. Staff had started hiding their coffee but Bonnie found it, you couldn’t fool her!

She had the cutest giggle and laugh. One of the staff called her one of the silver foxes of Salisbury another called her the “Little Princess” and both of those names were given in love. Bonnie loved to be stylish. She liked looking pretty and being pampered going for spa treatments, manicures, pedicures, massages and she absolutely adored jewelry especially bracelets.

Bonnie had a little blanket that she wrapped around herself that went everywhere Bonnie went. She seemed to be always cold and always had a sweater on. If her caregivers didn’t put it on for her she would put it on in her own unique way.

In the past year Bonnie was diagnosed with Atrial Fibulation and her medications got straightened out. Bonnie’s quality of life was good. She enjoyed shopping and going to the spa and going out. Life was good for Bonnie.

Bonnie enjoyed just being too, she would curl up on the love seat with her blanket, if someone was sitting there she would put her feet on them. She enjoyed music, one of her caregivers liked classical, the other country so Bonnie developed a very eclectic taste in music.

She loved wafer cookies and enjoyed snapping them in pieces before eating them. Honey Nut cheerios was her favourite cereal and she always had a thing about bread.

Bonnie loved bon fires out in the back yard and had loved the camping trip she went on with one of the staff. She laughed the whole time. One of her all time things to do was to host tea parties, dressed up and serving fancy sandwiches and tea. She knew it was all about her!

Bonnie knew her own mind, she knew what she liked and didn’t like’ what she wanted to do and what she just was not going to do. She lived her life on her terms.

Bonnie felt safe and secure and she knew she was loved. She was easy to love and that also meant she got away with things because she was so cute.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, on Monday you lost this unique woman who brought so much joy to your life.

I believe nature teaches us many lessons. One of the creatures that we could learn from is the eagle. I have read that when it comes time for the young eagles to learn to fly, the mother takes one eaglet upon her wings and soars high above the desert. She then shakes the young one off to make its first attempt at flight. If she sees her young in any trouble she dives beneath it, catches it on her wings and soars aloft again to repeat the learning process.

A baby eagle as it learns to fly seems like a marvel. Its wings seem so frail that they can scarcely hold it aloft for more that a few flaps at a time, then down to earth it sinks, surely it will crash and never fly again. The mother eagle does not allow this to happen; each time the baby starts to fall she lies beneath it and catches it on her back to give the fledgling another try.

As the baby eagle becomes exhausted, now and then it will give out a chirp of despair but mother eagle just becomes more and more determined as again and again she balances the baby bird on her wing. At last the mother bird soars upward, up, up, up then tilting her wings as a plane might she slides from underneath her offspring. The little bird falters then slowly gains altitude and follows its mother out of sight.

Through the last years of her life you, the staff and clients in her group home, her family, you were the people that allowed Bonnie to soar in ways she never would have been able to. Every time she faltered you were there to catch her on your wings. But you gave her wings. You gave her not only the basics of life but a quality of life. You gave her independence as much as possible and most importantly of all you gave her dignity and you gave her love.

In the scripture I read from the gospel of Luke Jesus tells his disciples, he tells you and I not to worry, that God will take care of our needs – just as you took care of Bonnie’s. We can take great confidence that God is meeting all of Bonnie’s needs now and that she is reunited with her mother and all those she has loved and lost.

In that gospel Jesus promises that there is a room for each of us a special place just for us. That is where Bonnie is now in that room, that place that God has prepared just for her.

Think of the best place you can imagine and this place will be a hundred times better. This is a place where Bonnie is restored to the woman God had wanted her to be. A place where she is whole; where there is no sickness or pain. Bonnie is in that room, that place that is hers alone. A place where she is at peace, a place where she is loved. Today we say goodbye today to Grace’s body but not to the memories of her; memories of the good times and sometimes memories of the struggles.

In the coming days and months you may struggle as you deal with the loss of Bonnie. Our faith does not ask us to pretend that we do not hurt, but it does ask that we believe that she has gone to be with the presence of God. God, who is love. Bonnie came to us from God as a gift, with sorrow and joy we return him to God. Trusting that God will welcome her, comfort her and continue to love and care for her.

Music: Crazy

Let us pray:

Gracious and loving God,

We thank You for all the blessings of life

For watching over us in death,

And for all the ways in which

we come to know Your love

We thank you for those who share our lives:

for families and loved ones;

for caregivers and companions;

for friends and neighbours.

We give thanks for Bonnie

and ask that we may remember her

treasure her memory

and accept our parting with grace.

Especially today we thank you for Bonnie

We praise you for the gift of her life.

For all in her that was generous and kind; For all the gifts of love she gave and received

For all that lives on through those who knew her and loved her.

Comforting and caring God,

We pray for the family and friends of Bonnie;

For all those who grieve her loss

May they know the comfort of Your love

the peace of Your presence.

Guide us as we seek to offer

support and care, healing and hope

to those who feel the loss of Bonnie

We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus,

who taught us to pray together saying:

=

Our Father

Who art in Heaven

Hallowed be Thy name

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done

On earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us

Lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For Thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory

Forever and ever. Amen.

God alone is holy and just and good.

In that confidence, therefore,

we commend you, Bonnie Clark.,

to God’s judgment and mercy,

to God’s forgiveness and love.

Blessed be God, the Source of Light,

who has caused the light of Christ

to shine upon you.

Go forth from this world:

in the love of God who created you,

in the grace of Jesus the Christ who redeemed you,

in the power of the Holy Spirit who strengthens you.

In communion with all the faithful,

may you dwell this day in peace.

To those of you who loved Bonnie so much, in the next weeks and months you will go through a grieving process. It isn’t easy but it is a part of life, and love. Doug Manning in his book Don’t Take My Grief Away compares grieving to a cut finger.

A cut finger - is numb before it bleeds,

it bleeds before it hurts,

it hurts until it begins to heal,

it forms a scab and itches until finally

the scab is gone and a small scar is left

where once there was a wound.

Grief is the deepest wound you have ever had. Like a cut finger, it goes through stages and leaves scars.

Be gentle with yourselves as you come to terms with the loss of Bonnie.

Benediction

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

And the rains fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

may God hold you in the hollow of his hand. AMEN.

Carry Out: Pretty Blue Eyes

Committal

As we stand ...

under the rounding dome of the sky,

with the good earth beneath our feet,

washed by sunlight and air,

we take a deep breath that is life

in order that we may name

this moment as sacred.

Let us pray.

Loving God, as we gather in this place,

we are mindful of the reason we have come.

Breathe your spirit among us

as we gather our thoughts together,

as we call to mind the love that was shared,

as we reflect on the blessings

we have both given and received;

and when the time comes,

to have the courage to let go

and embrace a new life forever changed

by Bonnie’s witness among us and his journey from us.

Hold us close, we pray, as we say our goodbyes. Amen.

Bonnie was a beloved child of God, it seems that in many ways life wasn’t fair to her. As a child of God we know she was never alone, never abandoned. There is a wonderful poem called Footprints that reminds us of that.

FOOTPRINTS

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you the most you would leave me."

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.".

Someone who gave your life meaning has died.

someone who brought you joy,

someone who gave you love,

No matter how much you may have prepared yourself,

you were not quite prepared.

No matter how many words you may have shared,

there are things you did not get to say.

No matter how much pain you may have endured already,

you are being called upon to endure still more.

Someone who has been a part of your days on earth

no longer walks the earth with you.

Life is not the same.

And it hurts.

So what do we do

We give thanks for the life of Bonnie. .

May all who mourn Bonnie’s death

be granted the gifts of understanding and acceptance

We give thanks that Bonnie was and is a part of our life.

The truth of his life endures and is woven into the fabric

of the larger Life of which we and Bonnie are all a part.

The life of God’s kingdom.

And now as we remember and say a final farewell

to one held dear,

let us be confident and trusting that a human life

is full of meaning and purpose, even in death.

Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life.

Those who believe in me even though they die will live

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never

die. John 11:25-26

With thanksgiving for the life lived,

and the love shared,

we commit the body of Bonnie Marlene Clark

to its final resting place.

Earth to earth,

ashes to ashes,

dust to dust.

Trusting in God's great mercy

by which we have been born anew.

Bonnie;

Go peacefully into that abiding place prepared for us

Go gently into God's deeper presence.

Go confidently into the communion of saints surrounding us all;

And may they hold you precious till we meet again.

Let us pray:

Eternal God,

in whom we live and move and have our being,

be present with us now.

Draw us nearer and embrace us within your infinite love.

Transform the burden of our pain or doubt

into the freedom of faithfulness and thanksgiving.

Bless us with your healing touch.

We pray in the name of your Son,

our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Benediction:

Deep peace of the running wave to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the shining stars to you.

Deep peace of the infinite peace to you

* * * * * * * * * *

CLARK, Bonnie Marlene – It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of Bonnie (BonBon) Clark on Monday, August 20, 2018 at the age of 69. Much loved daughter of the late Onetta and R.S. Clark. Predeceased by her brother John and her sister Patricia. Bonnie will be missed by her aunts Doris Chouinor and Bernice Bouice, her cousin Muriel Rocque and her nephews Chris and Jordan McBain. Bonnie will be especially missed by the staff and her friends at Community Living Algoma. Friends and family may visit at the Arthur Funeral Home – Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. East 705-759-2522) on Friday, August 24, 2018 from 1 until 2 pm. Funeral service to follow in the chapel at 2:30 pm Mrs. Helen Smith officiating. Interment Greenwood Cemetery. Memorial contributions to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or Community Living Algoma would be appreciated. Expressions of sympathy may be offered at www.arthurfuneralhome.com