Bonita (Bonnie) June Weber passed away Tuesday, September 17, 2024, in Rapid City, SD.

Bonnie was born on June 14, 1933, to William and Jean (O'Connell) Blair in Custer, SD.  She joined an older sister, Shirley, and brother, Jim.  She was eventually followed by two brothers, Mike and Jack.  She and her siblings grew up in Gordon, Nebraska.  She often talked of the wonderful times they had playing with their friends, exploring in the nearby woods, and attending the Gordon school.

Bonnie was very active at school; participating as a class officer, Student Senate representative, cheerleading, serving on committees, and taking part in several of the school clubs.  She was crowned Homecoming Queen and was a member of the prom court.  She also was a member of the Jobs Daughters, and was crowned Jobs Queen.  Bonnie was a lifetime supporter of the Gordon Broncos.

Always a hard worker, she had her first jobs at the age of 12, babysitting and cleaning houses.  She then worked for a number of years for Sault's Drug, where she first met her future husband and love of her life, Bruce Weber, when he would stop by for a chocolate malt.  She thought he was a handsome cowboy, but with a 5-year age difference, was too old for her.  He had to drink a lot of malts before she agreed to date him.

Bruce and Bonnie were married on September 14th, 1952, and soon after he left for Ft. Leonard Wood, then was shipped to Korea.  Bonnie continued to work at Sault's Drug until their first child, Bruce "Greg" Gregory Weber, arrived in 1953.  Bruce returned in November, 1954, and they moved to the family ranch, Shovel Ranch, in Merriman, NE.  Two years later, their daughter, Elisa Anne Weber, was born, followed in another three years by another son, Kurt Knight Weber.  Bonnie was very involved in the town happenings, serving on boards and committees for the town and the Merriman School.  She took part in the school PTA, was a Cub Scout den mother, and was always ready to help to decorate, organize parades, or be the class mother.  Bonnie was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church, and served in numerous capacities on church committees and boards in the Merriman Church.

Bruce and Bonnie worked the ranch as a team.  While he was working the cows, she was cooking for hired men and hay crews, hosting 4-H meetings, and driving through Sandhills country roads in blizzards and sandstorms.  Bonnie had a lifelong love of education, and began attending classes at Chadron State College.  In 1969, the family moved to Rapid City, to a ranch in Rapid Valley.  Bonnie then began attending classes at Black Hills State University. where she graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor's of Science in Education degree.  She taught country school near New Underwood, and also taught for the Douglas School District.  Over the years, Bruce and Bonnie lived between their valley ranch and Merriman, where she worked in the office of the Weber Equipment Co.  They eventually sold the SD ranch and bought a home in Boulder Canyon near Sturgis, SD.  For a number of years they were snowbirds, spending winters in Bullhead City, AZ.  They eventually moved to Sturgis, where they resided at the time of Bonnie's death.

Bonnie was a devoted mother and wonderful grandma.  She spent many happy hours with her children and grandchildren, making their childhoods fun and magical.  She will be greatly missed and forever loved by her family.  She is survived by her devoted husband, Bruce; their children, Greg Weber, Elisa (Dave) Lynde, and Kurt (Lori) Weber; five grandchildren, Jamie (Daene) Boomsma, Chris (Irina) Lynde, Kilee (Jon)Tauer, Shae (Abby) Weber, and Michael (Kimberly) Weber; and eleven great-grandchildren, Houston, Drake, and Bria Boomsma, Andrew and Taylor Weber, Cal, Ada, and Evy Tauer, Sophia Lynde, and Lawson and Hayes Weber.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, at http://centralusa.salvationarmy.org.; or to the Gordon-Rushville Mustangs Booster Club, 810 Oak St., Gordon, NE 69343.