The Life of Bonnie L. Kohler
Bonnie Lou Kohler, age 75, of Black Rock, passed away peacefully after a long and courageous battle with cancer, Sunday, January 20, 2019, with her loving daughter Stacey by her side. She will be dearly missed by her beloved daughter, Stacey Curran and her beloved granddaughter, Ella Curran of Black Rock.
Bonnie is also survived by her mother, Shirley Beyer Irwin of Trumbull, her sister, Wendy Sawyer of Black Rock; stepchildren Sean O'Connor and wife Deborah and daughter Kaitlin, Ellen Cramer and husband David and children Max, Milo and Phoebe, and Laura O'Connor and children Sam and Lily. In addition to her father, Bonnie was predeceased by her son, John Patrick Curran, and her longtime partner, Thomas O'Connor.
Bonnie was born on October 23, 1943 in Stuttgart, Arkansas, at the Stuttgart Army Airfield where her father Elmer Kohler was training to be an aviator. Elmer became a B-24 bomber co-pilot and flew many missions before being killed in action over Munich, Germany in 1944. When Elmer was deployed overseas, Bonnie and her mother returned home to the small village of Castorland in upstate New York, where she spent her childhood.
In 1961, Bonnie ventured from upstate to New York City and attended Grace Downs Air Career School. After completing a secretarial course, she worked for Pan Am Airlines, and later in life also worked for Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways. She prided herself on her work ethic and was also a real estate agent, an administrative assistant, and office manager throughout the years. Bonnie was an avid bridge player for many years and achieved the rank of Life Master. Bonnie had a wide circle of friends whom she cherished, and was a fierce jeopardy fan. She loved animals of all kinds, both domestic and wild, and gladly fed any that were lucky enough to wander into her back yard. Above all, Bonnie was a devoted grandmother.
A funeral service will be held Friday, January 25, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at First Church Congregational, 148 Beach Road, Fairfield. Interment will be private. Friends may call Thursday, January 24, 2019 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers, friends may consider a donation in Bonnie's memory to Wildlife in Crisis, Inc., P.O. Box 1246, Weston, CT 06883. For information or to offer an online condolence, please visit www.SpearFuneralHome.com.