Obituary of Doris Vivian Bonli

Vivian Bonli passed away peacefully at Parkland Place long term care facility in Melfort on Friday, Nov 25th at the age of 93. Vivian was born on the family farm near Dundurn to Mike and Amanda Booker on May 29, 1929 and was the 4th of seven children. With three older sisters to tend to chores, Vivian would escape to spend hours up in a tree pretending to be a cowboy riding her horse and yodelling or piloting her airplane. Vivian left home to attend high school in Dundurn. Following graduation, she pursued a career in nursing and in 1951 graduated from the St. Paul’s School of Nursing in Saskatoon. Her first job took her to Melfort where she met and married Allan Bonli on June 27, 1953. They settled on the family farm north of Melfort and were blessed with 4 children, David, Cathy, Tom and Jeff. It was her family, both immediate and extended, that brought Vivian her greatest pleasure. The arrival of nine grandchildren, followed by one great grandson, brought new joys and she was the sweetest, kindest grandma ever. Vivian was an active partner and participant in the farming operation. Her delicious meals lovingly brought out to the field were the highlight of harvest for everyone. Vivian enjoyed summer vacations at Nemeiben Lake where her fresh pan fried fish made your mouth water. She felt fortunate to have travelled to Asia, Costa Rica, Hawaii and Australia/New Zealand with Allan. She also loved her yard, her garden and her home, especially the view from her dining room window. This allowed her to watch the awakening of each day, the changing seasons, the activity in the farmyard, her dog Gracie, her winged friends at the feeder and her horses, Eclipse and Noni. Vivian’s love of horses was life long. She exercised that love with the purchase of her two horses while in her seventies. She trained and rode her horses well into her eighties. In her later years, Vivian especially looked forward to Sunday supper at Dave and Carol’s. Vivian was a very wise woman, an avid reader and always aware of what was going on in the world. She could solve a crossword puzzle in minutes and conquered too many jigsaw puzzles to count. She was a loyal fan of Toronto Blue Jays. An active member of the CRV Lutheran church, Vivian’s unwavering faith saw her through happy and difficult times. Vivian made everyone around her feel loved and cared for. She had the most infectious smile that lit up her face and it truly was a window into her beautiful soul. She will be dearly missed and forever loved. Vivian will be remembered by her children David (Carol) of Melfort, Cathy (Garry) Gelech of Thode and Tom (Rupal) of Saskatoon; grandchildren Liv (Leslie), Inger, Maia and Kjell Bonli, Steve (Rebecca), Tom (Courtney) and Greg Gelech, Sonika (Ryan Palik) and Kaeten (David) Bonli; great grandson Kale Bonli; brother Warren (Pat) Booker of Saskatoon, sister Marilyn (Ken) Rye of Calgary, sister-in-law Dorothy (Ed) Booker-Tymchatyn of Saskatoon and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Vivian was predeceased by her husband Allan, son Jeff and siblings Maureen Summerfeldt, Irene Morgan, Velva Summerfeldt, Marv Booker. Memorial contributions in memory of Vivian may be directed to Carrot River Valley Lutheran Church PO Box 1181 Melfort, SK S0E 1A0 and / or a Charity of Choice.