Louela E Bonner

Louela "Lou" Emanuel Bonner, passed away peacefully on August 31, 2024 at the age of 91 in Bethesda, Maryland. She was preceded in death by her brothers Savas “Sam” Emanuel, Michael Emanuel, and an infant sister Athena. She is survived by two sons, Douglas G. Bonner III and William E. Bonner, and one daughter, Sarah H. Bonner, their spouses, and several grandchildren.

Lou was born in Akron, Ohio in 1932, the daughter of Greek immigrants from Ionia in what is now western Turkey. Her father arrived in the U.S. in 1914, years before he was able to bring his wife and family to the U.S. He eventually opened a successful Greek diner in Queens, New York. Lou studied Greek at St. Basil’s Academy and attended Haldane High School in Cold Spring, NY. She attended Barbizon Modeling School, and then worked as a model while attending college at night. Lou was hired by Eastern Airlines in communications for two years and then worked as a flight attendant from 1955-57. She met her future husband, the late Douglas G. Bonner, Jr., a foreign service officer, on an Eastern flight to New York. She, her late husband and children had overseas postings in Vienna, Austria from 1959-1963, and in Vientiane, Laos from 1968-1972.

After returning to Washington, D.C., Lou earned an Associate Degree in Accounting from Montgomery College. She worked as a bookkeeper and property manager for Saint Sophia Cathedral in Washington, D.C. from 1976-81. She then worked for 24 years as the Administrator for the Joseph, Gajarsa law firm from 1982-2006 until retiring at age 75. Lou loved dogs, reading, dancing and spoke fluent Greek and German. She was an avid master bridge player who played competitively at the Guy Mason Recreational Center. Lou was a devoted mother and grandmother, and loved attending Nationals games with her family.

A 10 a.m. visitation followed by an 11 a.m. funeral will be held on Monday, September 9, 2024 at Saint Sophia Cathedral, followed by an interment at Parklawn Cemetery in Rockville, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Louela’s name to St. Sophia Cathedral, 2815 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007.