Bonnie Joy Trodden

May 4, 1945 ~ February 21, 2014

It is heartbreaking to announce the sudden passing of my wife on February 21, 2014 at the Victoria Hospital after a brief battle with cancer.

The funeral will take place at 2:00 pm, on Tuesday March 4 at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard.

Long Obituary: Published Saturday, March 1st in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Bonnie J. Trodden

May 4, 1945 ~ February 21, 2014

It is heartbreaking to announce the sudden passing of my wife Bonnie Joy Trodden on February 21, 2014 at the Victoria Hospital after a brief battle with cancer.

She is survived by her husband Jerry, sisters-in-law Janice Durand (Hank), Carolyn Wallace (Roy), brothers-in-law Stan Trodden (Kathy), Larry Trodden (Berna) and many nieces and nephews.

Bonnie was predeceased by her parents Dr. and Mrs. William D. Bryce of Ottawa and her brother William Robert Bryce.

She was born in Toronto on May 4, 1945 and was raised in Ottawa. She graduated from the University of Toronto as a dental hygienist and then moved to Winnipeg where she graduated from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and PHD degrees. She spent 30 years teaching in the school of dental hygiene under the faculty of dentistry. Always eager to continue her learning, she also completed a university study program in horticulture and landscaping. She knew every detail about every wild flower from Winnipeg to Lake of the Woods. Her thesis for her masters degree was given recognition and printing by the National Museums of Canada.

Throughout her life, Bonnie participated in a variety of sports with figure skating, downhill skiing, water skiing and curling being her favourites. She even hesitantly took up canoeing after meeting her future husband Jerry at the Winnipeg Canoe Club in 1968. Her curling friends were very special to her and it was a sad time for her in December 2013 when she realized she would never again be able to play the game she loved.

Bonnie was an accomplished wood carver and took every opportunity to learn from the master carvers whenever and wherever they offered to share their time and expertise. Her special places were the cottage on Lake of the Woods and the sunroom of her Winnipeg home along the Red River where the birds and deer regularly visited her multiple feeders and gave her many happy hours. Dogs were also an important part of her life and each of them, particularly her golden retriever “Storm” was lavished with affection.

Bonnie was a high energy person and you seldom found her wasting time. She read dozens of books every year and loved to challenge her mind with every logic puzzle ever invented. She belonged to many associations and clubs over the years and as much as she loved being a participant, she predictably always seemed to become a member of the organizing committee.

Bonnie had a warm, friendly outgoing manner and always had a twinkle in her eye, a big smile and a remarkable ability to stay positive in spite of her health problems. Even her charming sense of humour stayed with her until her final hours. She very much appreciated the love shown to her by her friends during her final days. I especially wish to thank Dr. L. Hilderman for her exceptional care of Bonnie over the years and for her gentle kindness.

The Funeral will take place at 2:00 pm, on Tuesday March 4 at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard.

Many years ago Bonnie created the “Bonnie J. Trodden Scholarship in Dental Hygiene” at the University of Manitoba. In lieu of flowers, a donation might be made to the fund. Please contact the University of Manitoba: 204-474-9195.