Bonita “Bonnie” Ellyn Warren Conditt, 87, of Waupaca, Wis., joined the heavenly hosts on May 7, 2017, when her generous heart suddenly beat its last.
Born May 19, 1929, in Milwaukee, Wis., Bonnie was the third of nine children of Clara Jolliffe Warren and George R. Warren, a Methodist minister. She was selfless, learning to share everything in a large family; she was musical, singing or playing piano with her sisters at the churches her father served; she was academic, graduating cum laude from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.; she was independent, moving to Illinois after college for a YWCA job; and she was adventurous, receiving a Rotary Ambassadorial scholarship that took her to New College in Edinburgh, Scotland. During a student trip to Paris, under the Eiffel Tower, Bonnie met a young seminarian from Texas who was also studying in the Scottish capital. He offered her roasted chestnuts, which she kindly accepted before secretly discarding. Months later, the scene was repeated, but this time the bag of nuts also contained an engagement ring. Bonnie and Marion Conditt were married in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., on June 12, 1954, and began a journey that included residences in Switzerland, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and, finally, her native Wisconsin as well as multiple trips to Great Britain and mainland Europe. As a wife and mother, Bonnie was devoted; as a church and community volunteer, she was tireless; as an advocate for social and political causes, she was ardent. She was irrepressibly cheerful, spoke to everyone equally, was genuinely interested in others, and remembered people’s special days. She took nothing for granted and appreciated all her blessings. She was a lovely woman, from the inside out.
Bonnie is survived by her husband Marion (Waupaca); their son Calvin, his wife Turi, and their children Isabella and Oskar, of Plymouth, Minn.; daughter Karla, her husband Brock, and their children Knox and Grace, of Augusta, Ga.; son Craig, his wife Karen, and their children Andrea, Claire, and Emma, of Richardson, Tx.; siblings, Betty Moede, Marilyn Blackmon, David Warren, Jean Miller, Robin Cooprider, and Lynda Warren; and numerous nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by siblings Bob and Dorothy.
Bonnie’s life will be commemorated with a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, 2017, at the Camp Cleghorn chapel, located at Cleghorn Road and Camp Road in Waupaca. A dessert reception will follow in the nearby fellowship hall. In addition, all are invited to share their memories, tributes, and photos on a special memorial website for Bonnie: Never-Gone.com/memorials/BonnieConditt.
Cards can be sent to Marion Conditt, N-2730 Norris Lane, Waupaca, WI 54981. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Bonnie’s name to one or more of the following organizations that she supported: •Fox Valley Literacy Council (http://www.fvlc.net) •Waupaca Area Food Pantry (800 Churchill St, Waupaca, WI 54981) •Smile Train (http://www.smiletrain.org). Bonnie’s final resting place will be at Lakeside Memorial Cemetery in Waupaca, where her mother and father are buried.
“The sweetest sound to mortals given / Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.” — William Goldsmith Brown