Born on January 1, 1926 to Nellie and Lewis Thorpe, Bonnie was the fifth of nine children. She was a child of the Great Depression, a fourth generation Texan who grew up in rural Lampasas County along with eight other siblings. A gifted child, Bonnie attended school in a one room schoolhouse, grades first through eleventh, excelled in all subjects, and even managed to score the highest grade ever recorded on her final year achievement test.
Bonnie was a patriot and loved our country. In her early teens, she and her brother Bob spent many evenings in front of the radio, listening to the latest news on World War II, while mapping troop movement with thumb tacks on the back of a kitchen wall. At sixteen, wanting to do all she could to help her country in the war effort, Bonnie used her older sister’s birth certificate to pass the age requirement for admission into the Women’s Army Corp. After going through basic training in Georgia, she was sent by train to New York City to work as an Army medic. Bonnie was stationed in a hospital on Stanton Island and there she cared for wounded soldiers coming off military hospital ships.
Eventually, her being underage was discovered, she was given an honorable discharge and sent back home to Texas. Once there, she enrolled in a business college and after graduating, left for San Antonio where she was employed as an executive secretary at Household Furniture company.
It was there that she met the love of her life, Air Force Captain John D. Greene, a North Carolinian, who was stationed in Japan, but on leave in San Antonio. Bonnie was lovely, intelligent, witty and John, too, was smitten. They married in 1952 and Bonnie went back with John to Japan as a bride. In 1954, they returned to the states to start a post-war life together and to welcome their only child, daughter Gloria. John soon joined the Federal Aviation Agency and Bonnie became a devoted stay at home mom and homemaker. They traveled throughout the U.S. over the years while John was working for the FAA and made many happy memories together.
In 1979, their grandson, Michael Adair was born, and from that day forward, no two people were ever more lovingly devoted to, and supportive of a grandchild. Michael was the light and love of their lives and he spent almost every Saturday night for his first twelve years with “Nana” and “Papa”. To their delight in 2007, their great granddaughter, Addison was born and in 2010, their great grandson, Aiden. They fell in love with them just as they had with their father, and those two children meant the world to them.
Also special to Bonnie and John was Bonnie’s niece, Barbara Wolfe. Bonnie became like a second mom to Barbara after her mother, Ann, Bonnie’s oldest sister, passed away. The love between Barbara and Bonnie was special and lasted all Bonnie’s life.
Jonathan Jessup, their “adopted second grandson”, was special to them as well. They loved Jonathan, loved for him to come spend time with them in the summer and during school breaks while he was attending college in Texas and they adored Jonathan’s son, Silas. Before the pandemic, Jonathan and Silas would come to Texas from North Carolina every summer to see Bonnie.
Last mentioned but not the least felt was Bonnie’s love for her brother Arvel’s son, Dalton Thorp. Through weekly phone calls, Dalton was a constant source of joy, support and love for Bonnie. She looked forward to his calls and appreciated his time and attention so much.
Bonnie’s husband, John, developed Alzheimer’s in his later years, after he and Bonnie had retired and moved back to Round Rock. Bonnie took on the tireless role of loving caregiver. When John finally had to go into a memory care unit in 2010, Bonnie hired family friend, Rosie Clemons, to drive her back and forth to see him every day. John passed away in 2013; Bonnie never stopped missing him. She developed breast cancer that same year and also suffered a broken hip but nothing ever stopped the fight in Bonnie. The cancer went into remission and the hip healed but the missing of John never went away.
In 2017 at age 91, Bonnie had a massive stroke and after several weeks in the hospital and in rehab managed, through strength and determination, to gain all of her abilities back except for walking. Always fiercely independent and active, confinement to a wheelchair was very hard for Bonnie to accept but she did her best.
She moved into Round Rock Assisted Living and that became her home for the last two years she lived. She was loved, cared for and nurtured there and Bonnie’s family was truly blessed to find such a wonderful home for her. Thank you, Cindi Valles, Bridget Clunis, Arminda Ponder, Rosie Clemons, Michael Hernandez, Norma Alicea Franco, Maria Zavala and Don Spears. Your love for Bonnie and your devotion to her care and comfort made such a difference in the quality of her life and gave her family peace of mind knowing that she was always in good hands.
Thank you JOL (Journey of Life) Hospice. We appreciate the wonderful job your company did in helping take care of Bonnie the last six months of her life. The compassionate medical care of her nurses, Marian Shroth and Brittany Ortiz kept Bonnie comfortable, happy and at peace. The family is grateful to Marian and Brittany for all of the many kindnesses shown to her.
Bonnie Greene, exemplified the women of the “Greatest Generation”. She was amazing; beautiful, strong, witty and intelligent with a big heart; a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt, friend and human being.
Bonnie N. Greene is survived by her daughter, Gloria Adair and her husband Marshall; grandson, Michael Adair with Sarah Adair and great-grandchildren Addison and Aiden Adair; cousins or “second grandson and great grandson”, Jonathan and Silas Jessup; niece and “second daughter”, Barbara Wolfe of Kingwood, Texas; nephew Dalton Thorp and his wife Sherry of Dallas; sister, Imogene Glasscock of Norman, Oklahoma; brother, Jim Thorpe and his wife Jean of Kingsland, Texas; and numerous other nieces, nephews and cousins.
On July 14, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Bonnie will be buried with military honors, beside her husband, John Greene, in the Cooke Walden Capital Parks Cemetery. Due to the pandemic and while trying to keep everyone safe, the funeral service for Bonnie will be with immediate family and kept to 10 people or fewer; social distancing of six feet and the wearing of masks will be required.
She will be missed by all that loved her and we will all miss being loved by Bonnie Greene.
“Mothers hold their children's hands for a while, but their hearts forever, the love and memory of you, shall never pass away."
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18