Read Lavonne "Bonnie" Mae Wann's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Lavonne "Bonnie" Mae Wann

Riverside, CA, USA

July 25, 1937 - August 5, 2021

Jul 25, 1937 - Aug 5, 2021

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Family and friends, my mother, Lavonne Wann, known to most as “Bonnie”, age 84 of Riverside CA, passed away on Thursday August 5, 2021. Bonnie was born on July 25, 1937, in the small town of Winner, South Dakota to Clio and Elaine Vesely. Bonnie is survived by her daughter, Bernadette Merrill and her sons, Donald Fink and Con Fink; along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Bonnie grew up in Mosher, South Dakota on her parents small farm. She was the fourth child of five children. Bonnie’s parents along with her four siblings, Marilynn, Donald, Maxine and Clione have all predeceased her.
Bonnie was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 at which time she went through chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Even though her cancer was in remission the treatments made her very weak and she was not able to fully recover back to her normal active lifestyle.
Bonnie left home at the young age of 12 years old to work in the town of Winner to continue her education, pay for her high school expenses, room, and board, and to live on her own. After completing high school, she met her first husband and had three children, Bernadette, Donald, and Con. Bonnie divorced in 1963 and moved to Roy Utah where she worked for the Government. Life was not easy for her, but she was determined to succeed. For many years Bonnie lived the life of a single mom raising three children. In 1964 Bonnie came to Riverside, CA to be close to her sister, Marilynn Vesely. She worked for the Bourn’s Industry then after some time she was able to save enough money to open her first business in 1968, Arlington Bookkeeping which was located in Riverside. Bonnie married James Wann, Jr. in 1973 whom predeceased her in 1995. She and James moved to their home in Riverside on Victoria Avenue in 1974 where she continued to reside until her death. After selling her business in 1980, she semi-retired however, she continued to provided tax consulting. In 1992 Bonnie returned to work as the CEO of Rafe Federal Credit Union for 25 years. She was proud of her accomplishment of taking on the responsibility of a failing financial institution and then turning it into a thriving entity before retiring.
As a young girl Bonnie’s dream was to travel the world to see all the places she had read about in books. Bonnie was able to fulfill her dream of traveling the world and she visited seven continents. Bonnie was extremely proud to have raised three beloved children. She loved and enjoyed her seven grandchildren, and her many great-grandchildren. She was a kind, caring and thoughtful lady to all who knew her and were touched by her friendship. As per Bonnie’s wishes, due to Covid, there will not be any Funeral or memorial services.

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