It is with great sadness that the family of Bonna Rose Mulgrew announces her passing after a lengthy battle with cancer at the age of 61 years. Bonna will be lovingly remembered by her dear friend Gerry Whitmore, her children Dana (Larry), and Blair (Jessie). Bonna will also be fondly remembered by her granddaughter Ireland, her sister Cheryl (Tom) Kryschuk, and brother Ira (Tracy) Moffat, along with numerous nieces and nephews. Bonna was predeceased by her sister Fran Kubinchak, brother-in-law Terry Kubinchak and her mother Iris Starnchuk.

Bonna was born April 6th 1958 in Edmonton, Alberta.  Most of Bonna’s childhood was in Saskatoon, SK.  She was the 4th eldest of 7 children.  Born to Iris (Davidson) and John Moffat, the family moved to Nipawin when Bonna was in her teens. Eventually she settled into Prince Albert where she called home.

Bonna leaves behind a dysfunctional family that she is proud of.  She was world-renowned for her lack of patience, not holding back her opinion and a knack for telling it like it is. She always told you the truth even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear, and yes we were told many times how hard life can be, so suck it up.  She was someone you could count on to give you that honest advice you needed.

This family, and her role as mother and grandmother, was the most important thing to Bonna. This is where she drew her strength and left her legacy. Being with her family was what she enjoyed most of all. Her life had many obstacles, and she struggled for 15 months with a devastating illness. Yet through it all, her love and caring for her family remained her focus, and in so many, many ways, she was able to show that love to us. This perseverance through adversity is a powerful lesson for us, and I believe it is her legacy. What a wonderful lesson she gave us. Keep your priorities straight. Keep that which is most important in focus. Love and care for your family. Let them know in all the ways you can show them that you love them. Don’t let adversities or setbacks or any of the distractions of the world keep you from this most important aspect of life.

Bonna was genuine to a fault, a kitten at heart (or lion) and yet she sugar-coated nothing. Her extensive vocabulary was more than highly proficient at knowing more curse words than most people learned in a lifetime. She liked four-letter words as much as she loved her flower garden. These words of encouragement, wisdom, and sometimes comfort, kept us in line, taught us the school of hard knocks and gave us something to pass down to our children. Everyone always knew where you stood with her. She liked you or she didn’t, it was black or white. As her children we are still trying to figure out which one it was for us (we know she loved us).

Bonna believed in overcooking everything until it was black as charcoal.  Black toast, crispy bacon, steak so burnt a knife wouldn’t even cut through it, marshmallows on fire!  This was how she preferred her food too but when it came to taking care of her family, her culinary specialties such as perogies, lasagna, and turkey dinners that were absolutely out of this world and could feed an army! We couldn’t wait for holidays to sit around her table and try all of her forty dishes.

Bonna was a true animal lover all her life.  She was always bringing home stray cats or dogs to see they got a good home.  Only six years ago she adopted her jack russell terrier cross bandits; Bonnie, Clyde, Thelma and Louise.

Having such a big heart, it was only fitting that Bonna dedicated her life to special needs.  Despite being ill with cancer, she was an incredibly strong and fierce woman to many.  Bonna began her career of caregiving for special needs adults and children. She was manager of Prince Albert Group Homes for several years before establishing her own care home.

All who loved her dearly will never forget her tenacity, wit, charm, grace (when pertinent) and undying love and caring for them. We are proud to have Bonna as our mother, grandmother, sister, friend who made us better and stronger human beings. In sharing the joy and the pain together today, may we lessen the pain and remember more clearly the joy.

It’s hard to say goodbye. We wish that we had more time, and perhaps that during the time we had we had spent more of it together. We wish that so much of her life had not been lost to cancer, that things could have been different for her, and for us. While we know that she is at peace and that her struggles are at an end, there is pain and sadness. But even though she is gone, she has left the legacy of her love and perseverance. The ways she touched our lives will remain.

Here is a poem by Helen Steiner Rice entitled ‘Spring Garden’

So when I looked at those flowers,
I was looking at God
For they bloomed in His sun
and grew in His sod
And each lovely flower
was a “voice from above”
That whispered a message
of Kindness and Love
For I feel in my heart,
and I know you do, too,
That God speaks to us all
through the kind things we do
And when I looked at those flowers
I couldn’t help but feel
That they brought heaven nearer
and made God so real.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, September 5, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Gray’s Funeral Chapel, 575 28th Street West, Prince Albert, SK.   In memory of Bonna, donations may be made to Level 5 Palliative, c/o Victoria Hospital Foundation, 1200 24th Street West, Prince Albert, SK  S6V 5T4.  Condolences may be sent to the family at www.grays.ca.  Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Gray’s Funeral Chapel, (306) 922-4729.

 

• Date : 2019-08-27
• Location : Prince Albert, SK