Bonnie J. Stafford

Bonnie Stafford of Denver, Colorado and Ozark, Alabama died peacefully the morning of Wednesday, January 27, 2016. She was surrounded by her family, and as she passed the sun rose above the mountains that were her childhood home.

That childhood home was made joyous by Beverly, Barbara, and Bob, who did double duty as both siblings and playmates. They explored the woods around Conifer, Colorado together, and later they attended Evergreen High School, where Bonnie was a cheerleader. It was in those hallways that she asked a scrawny kid named Jim out on a date that lasted nearly 60 years. On September 16, 1961, the two exchanged rings and promised to stand together in sickness and in health, a vow that remained unbroken until the very end.

During that long romance, the couple was blessed by three children: Jennette, Dia, and Jim Jr., all of whom she doted on. Nothing was more important to Bonnie than her family, and nothing meant more to her children than seeing her proud smile. Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, PTA, Little League, talent shows, and dance recitals: She was there for every moment.

Those three children brought the next generation of loves into Bonnie's life, a Mouseketeer roll call of children who called her BB: grandchildren Aleiha, Adam, AJ, Kati, Casey, Jackson, Lily, Zimzi and Ezra; great-grandchildren Lily, Kamryn, Paxton, and Ben. Perhaps her only regret in life was that most of her grandchildren were too far away for her to regularly shower with hugs and kisses.

Throughout her 71 years, Bonnie maintained a youthful love of dolls, butterflies, Christmas decorations, children's books, and music. She possessed an exceptional singing voice, which she shared not only with her family but as a member of several choirs and barbershop quartets. She also played both the piano and the autoharp, but most importantly music served as the soundtrack to her favorite pastime: dancing. Along with her husband, Jim, Bonnie was a regular fixture on ballroom floors throughout the country, sometimes driving as far as 20 hours from their home in Ozark just to attend a dance. Together they were members of both the Dothan and Enterprise dance clubs, and also taught ballroom dancing.

The pair also traveled broadly, visiting all fifty states, most of Europe and Asia, and many of the Pacific and Caribbean islands. Her favorite mode of travel was cruise ship, which allowed her to visit new places by day and dance by night.

As her neurological disorder progressed, she maintained her positive outlook, neither complaining nor pitying herself. She continued laughing long after her disease robbed her of her infectious laugh. Bonnie was the rare individual who truly never had a harsh word for anyone, who found the good in everyone, and lived humbly by Christ's example. Her profound humility led her to worry that she hadn't done enough, even though she had devoted her entire life to loving and serving others without concern for herself.

The many people whose lives she touched - her family and friends - can never thank her enough for her love, support, and example, but we must try by simply doing those few things she did so effortlessly but with which we sometimes struggle: love each other, forgive each other, and be kind.

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