Bonnie B Bircher

Bircher, Bonnie Belle (Smith) (Age 89) - was born in 1921 on a homestead near Lewistown, MT. Her parents, Dell D. Smith and Ella (Gosney) Smith, tried their hand at farming on the Alkali Flats which were to be the windiest, driest, coldest place on earth! Bonnie’s father was a bit of a wanderlust, taking his family here and there, until he finally settled them in the upstairs of a private home on the North side of Spokane. He followed his heart and went to Idaho and Montana looking for gold. While he was away, Ella began using her skills as a professional seamstress, to sew and alter clothing for the “richer” folks on the South Hill. Bonnie claimed the cash provided many good suppers of bread and milk! She attended elementary school near her home and was a North Central High School graduate. Bonnie had decided at a young age to become a teacher and carried out her plan by going to Eastern Washington College, where she received her degree. While at college, she met a young man by the name of Merf, who held her attention. It was war time, and Merf enlisted in the Navy. He was stationed in Austin, Texas. It wasn’t long before the courtship bloomed into a full romance, and Merf’s letters became more and more insistent that she come to Texas to marry him. After very little consideration, Bonnie and her mother rode a coal train four days to Austin, where Merf was smiling on the platform. They were married the next day. The honeymoon consisted of a boat ride around the harbor, with Merf and her mother. Bonnie and Merf were a typical wartime bride and groom. Merf would be shipped to another naval base and Bonnie would follow. She taught preschool or kindergarten nearly everywhere he was stationed until it was time to leave again. When Merf was shipped to the South Pacific Islands, Bonnie found a job teaching in Aberdeen, WA. Finally the war ended and Bonnie continued with her job, until the day Merf secretly slipped into her classroom! They moved back to Spokane and purchased the restaurant owned by her parents. They were there about a year when Bonnie’s dad became ill. Her dad wanted to see all of the Western States before dying. The restaurant was sold and they had the trip of a lifetime - 1948 was a lucky year! After several years of marriage, they finally got their beloved baby, Linda. Merf’s career path was about to change. Bonnie and Merf were given the opportunity to move to the St. John area and farm. After building a new home, Bonnie landscaped the yard with every flower imaginable, her specialty being roses. In 1951, in the middle of a very bad winter, their second daughter, Maribeth was born. Bonnie started teaching kindergarten at St. John when Maribeth was three. There was not a babysitter to be found, so she got to go to kindergarten with her mother for three years in a row! Bonnie then moved up to the first grade for 15 years and ended up with two years as the third grade teacher. She adored teaching and loved and worried over every child she taught. After Bonnie retired, Merf partially retired and they spent 22 winters in Arizona. During that time Bonnie honed her skills at painting and “learning” to play bridge. She remained in that learning phase until her 89th birthday when she gave up the game! They remained very active all those years, square dancing four times a week and dancing to the Big Band music two nights a week. Bonnie was a 50-year member of the Golden Link Chapter of Eastern Star and a 50-year member of the Wheatland Grange. There never was a doubt Bonnie and Merf were a devoted couple. They were married 60 years. Merf passed away four months later, in 2003. Following Merf’s death, Bonnie moved to Community Pride Retirement Center. She had learned to sew at her mother’s knee, so she decided to open up shop at Community Pride! While there she and her band of stitchers made over 700 kittens to be given to children in hospitals or in other traumatic situations. They also made over 300 baby quilts for mothers in need. Many of the quilts have been shipped all over the world. Bonnie leaves behind her two daughters, Linda Young (Lloyd) of Detroit, MI and Maribeth Kjack (Buzz) of St. John, WA; six grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. Her memorial service will be held at 11:00am Tuesday October 12, 2010, at the St. John Community Building. A catered lunch will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the St. John Volunteer Fire Dept. or the St. John Public Library, where Bonnie was an avid reader.