Bonnie Mae (Sellers) Perley

Bonnie Mae (Sellers) Perley

Bonnie Mae (Sellers) Perley went home to be with the Lord on Saturday (March 21, 2009) at Newton Medical Center. She was surrounded by her family.

She was born to Harry and Sarah Sellers on March 29, 1923, in Henderson, Iowa. She graduated in 1941 from Wales-Lincoln High School in Ames, Iowa.

She married John L. Perley on Sept. 5, 1943, in Salisbury, Mo.

Bonnie received her LPN certificate and served others as a nurse at Bethel Deaconess Hospital and did private duty nursing in the Newton area.

Prior to this, Bonnie was a hardworking waitress at the Village Cafe and The Coffee Pot. She also worked at the Harvey House.

Bonnie and John lived in Salisbury until 1954, and then they moved to Newton. They lived in town for 30 years.

Following that, they lived on a farm east of Elbing for 27 years. They relocated to North Newton eight years ago.

Bonnie loved spending time with her family, cooking, camping, music, gardening, collecting rocks, picking wildflowers and watching butterflies.

The most important thing in her life was her love for the Lord and sharing that love with everyone she knew. She was a member of Potwin Christian Church and will be missed by everyone.

Bonnie is survived by husband, John L. Perley of North Newton; a sister, Ginny Janson (Eric Janson) of Lexington, S.C.; daughter, Marilyn Hinz (Carney Hinz); son, Mike Perley of rural Newton; and daughter, Michelle Solomon (Joe Solomon) of Newton. Bonnie had eight grandchildren: Carla and Pat Ryan, Cathy and Mark Willis, Callie and Mike Hill, Jamie and Dave Cope, Jennifer and Bob Baugher, Jessica and Jeremy LeDuc, and Missy Summers. Grandson Jeremy Solomon preceded her in death. She had 13 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bonnie also was preceded in death by her parents and seven siblings.

Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Petersen Funeral Home, 215 N. Main St. in Newton, with family present from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Burial will follow at Lonestar Cemetery east of Newton.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Bonnie Mae Perley Memorial Fund in care of Citizen State Bank.