Bonnie Bell Clark

Bonnie Bell Clark passed away Monday, November 23, 2015, after a difficult, but mercifully short battle with cancer.  She chose to forego treatment and instead spent her last months traveling to Europe with family, visiting friends and nurturing her vast circle of loved ones.

To say we grieve the loss of our friend, mother, grandmother, great-grandma – the pillar of our family — would be an understatement. But to say we lost the core of our family would be untrue, for that core is the living legacy she left behind – unconditional love, generosity of kindness and spirit, and a boundless capacity for forgiveness, all built on a bedrock of responsibility and compassion.

Bonnie was born July 27, 1933 in Ogden, UT, to Henry M. Bell and Selma Gorder Bell.  She graduated from Davis High School in 1951.

Bonnie loved family camping trips and trout fishing. She loved gardening, horses, martinis and slot machines. She could beat you at golf. She adored her Boston Terriers. She treasured family holidays, where visitors would find a table of fine china, a steaming pot of spaghetti, a deck of poker cards and a warm wit.

Travel was a particular passion. From China to Alaska, from the beaches of Normandy to the crisp air of Mt. Hood, she delighted in sharing the wonders of the road with the ones she loved.

But her real treasure was family. Bonnie raised her family in Bountiful, UT and Boise, ID, and lived for many happy years in Scottsdale and Nogales, AZ.  As her children married, she embraced each new spouse as another child, and her growing legacy of grands and greats brought her immense joy.

Bonnie is preceded in death by her parents and two great men, her first husband Russell James Yeates, and Alton Clark, her husband for 43 years.

Bonnie is survived by her daughter, Jeanette Clark Whitesides, and her children, Allison (Justin) Fox and Griffin Whitesides; her son Michael Clark and his children Alena Clark and Jodi Lynne (Garrett) Magoffin (and great grandchildren Jeremiah, Benjamin and Savannah); her son David (Jeanette) Clark, and their children Jennifer (Patrick) Anderson, Kathryn (Clayton) Pratt, and Angela (Joel) Simmons; her son Douglas (Carrie) Clark, and their daughter, Olivia Clark.

We would like to thank the friends and family who rallied to show Bonnie their love and support through her illness. In particular, we would like to thank the professionals at Harmony Hospice, who helped us to give back to someone who has given so much – a dignified passing, painless, and surrounded by love.

Viewings will be held Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 6 to 8 pm, and Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 9:45 to 10:45 am, at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 N. Main St., Bountiful, UT. Funeral services will be held there at 11 am. Interment services will be held afterwards at the Bountiful City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Online condolences may be sent to www.russonmortuary.com or www.bonnieupdates.blogspot.com.