Bonita L. Hutcheson, 91, of Sheridan, Colorado, passed away March 18, 2022. She was preceded in death by her husband Ord Marvin Hutcheson. Funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at Holy Name Catholic Church, 3290 W Milan Ave, in Sheridan, Colorado. A private burial was held at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Bonita
Lee Hutcheson, known as "Bonnie" to most everyone, was
born in Naponee, Nebraska, to Nola Emma Benedict Jones, and Thornton
Gilbert Jones. She grew up in Denver, Colorado and graduated from
Cathedral High School. At the age of ten, Bonita decided she wanted
to go to church and, shopped around, finding the Catholic Church
as the one she wanted to join. She was baptized with her brother
at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Denver on April 30,
1941.
Bonita graduated from Cathedral High School and took some college classes. She said she was a "Girl Friday," working in offices, for Time, Inc. followed by Kely Girls Temp Agency, the City of Sheridan, and Wagner's Dinette.
After a few years working, she met and married Ord Marvin Hutcheson of Denver, Colorado on October 22, 1950 at St. Ignatius Loyola Church. Bonita and Ord purchased a home in Sheridan in 1963 and raised their four children: Marnie Louise Hutcheson, Christopher Lee Hutcheson, Cynthia "Thea" Lynn Hutcheson, and Therese Ann Hutcheson.
In Sheridan, she attended Holy Name Church for fifty-nine years. She served on the Parish Council and as a lector. She taught religious education and RCIA classes, coordinated the lector and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist schedule for many years. She served as the unofficial historian for the parish and was on the planning committee for the St.. Agnes Center.
As a mother, Bonnie always supported her family's interests and growth. When the children were of school age, the whole family participated in annual performances of the Colorado Concert Ballet's "The Nutcracker". Bonnie made endless trips to the studio for lessons and rehearsals, sewing costumes, and working backstage with Marvin, while her children danced in the performances.
She was a friend and a mentor for all who knew her through Gesneriad Society, Gloxinia Gesneriad Growers, and Rocky Mountain African Violet Council. She generously gave her time and expertise to the needs of these plant clubs, acting as President, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Judge, and an expert grower, always sharing her knowledge and her plants.
As her children grew up, Bonnie pursued her interests in her own career, serving as the Clerk of the City of Sheridan for 14 years. She was a member of the City of Sheridan Centennial Committee, on the Home Rule Committee (Charter Commission), and was a founding member of the Sheridan Historical Society. She served on the Historical Society Board of Trustees for 25 years. She was the only person awarded a "Lifetime Membership" in the Sheridan Historical Society. Bonita authored many articles and stories for historical society.
Bonnie was preceded in death by her son, Christopher and her
devoted husband of 68 years, Marvin. She was survived by her daughters,
Marnie, Thea, partner Randy Merrick, and Therese, daughter-in-law
Wendy Rich, her grandchildren: Laren Trujillo, son-in-law Matt
Trujillo, VelvaLee Boyd, Dane David Boyd, and Kate La Breche,
and her great grandchildren: Dietrick Miller and JaedRae Boyd.
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