Bonnie L. Kovach

It is with great sadness and deep tenderness that our family announces the passing of our dear mother, Bonnie Louise Kovach.

Born in a humble family home on Pine Street in Schoolcraft, Michigan, on July 5, 1940, Bonnie was the fourth of five children of Alice Peterson (nee Mattson), a homemaker, and Melvin Peterson, a mechanic & the volunteer town fire chief. In her recollections, Bonnie spoke of her early years as a mixture of hard times and good. As a toddler, she almost perished after subsequent bouts of whooping cough, measles, and pneumonia, crediting her mother’s good care and her own strong constitution for her survival. Her happier memories included proudly riding the town firetruck with her father for holiday parades, going to movie reruns of “Rin Tin Tin”, playing “Kick the Can” late into the night with her many childhood friends, singing hymns at local church services, and toting home any and all stray animals for pets. Bonnie loved growing up in a small town and was always proud she almost shared a birthday with the United States of America.

One teenage evening in 1955, shortly after a local fortune teller foretold that she would encounter “a handsome, dark-haired man”, Bonnie met the love of her life. Tony was a farm boy from neighboring Portage, the youngest son of immigrant parents who she later recalled as having “the most wonderful black hair and beautiful, blue eyes that matched his aqua sweater”. Despite their youth, it wasn’t long before the two knew they wanted to be together forever, and they made plans to be married despite her parents’ protestations. After converting to Catholicism, Bonnie & Tony were wed in holy matrimony on March 16, 1957. They moved soon after to the Eastern Seaboard as Tony enlisted in the Navy. There they happily welcomed three children in quick succession - Nicholas, Patrick and Michelle. According to both parents, “We didn’t have two dimes to rub together”, but ever-resourceful Bonnie took great pride in making their rented apartments into homes.

Finishing enlistment, the couple returned to Portage to build their family home and run a small blueberry farm. The ensuing years were busy and fruitful, adding three more children to their family - Yvonne, Stephen, and Emilie. Tony opened his own plumbing business, with his enterprising wife as bookkeeper. Bonnie returned to school at KVCC, obtaining her LPN and using her new degree and “baby whispering” skills in the mother/baby unit at Bronson Hospital. 

Bonnie enjoyed her busy farm life with all its charms and challenges, taking pride in growing seasonal vegetables and beautiful flower gardens, fulfilling her childhood dreams of having her own “Rin Tin Tin” by breeding and training German Shepherds, taking family camping trips to Lake Michigan, and teaching her children how to cross country ski in the hard, “lake-effect” winters. She was a great cook, and her children fondly remember Sunday mornings listening to the click clack of her church shoes while the house filled with smells of deliciousness and sounds of the WMUK “Grass Roots” show playing on the radio. In her spare time, Bonnie enjoyed knitting, quilting, and sewing - industriously making many children’s and dolls’ clothes over the years, crafting baby blankets for every one of her 12 grandchildren, and later a special quilt for each high school graduation.

Ever the adventurer, she loved planning vacations, and her family had many memorable road trips together exploring all regions of the U.S. Later Bonnie & Tony were blessed to explore Europe, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Mexico together. During these later years they also opened their home to many exchange students, and Bonnie became a proud “American Mom” to many.

Bonnie valued her friendships deeply, maintaining lifelong ties with her childhood friends - a group that later morphed into the humorously titled “Fat Girls Swim Club”. A talented and earnest self-taught writer, she corresponded for decades with old Navy friends and Swedish cousins, long distance sisters, and the local newspaper Editorial column. Bonnie could always be depended on for showing up with homemade food at any time of need and was always first to warmly welcome a new neighbor. “Always put yourself in another person’s shoes” was a well-worn adage.

In July of this year, Bonnie attended a family reunion that included her children and their spouses, 12 grandchildren and their spouses/partners, and 12 great-grandchildren. It was a happy day that proved testament to the large, loving family she and her deceased husband worked so hard to build.

Bonnie peacefully crossed over the River Jordan to join her Heavenly Father on August 2, 2024, after receiving last rites. She passed to the sound of her favorite childhood hymn, “Amazing Grace”, surrounded by her loving children. Our family has no doubt Tony was waiting patiently for her on the far shore.

A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, at 11:00am at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1150 W Centre Ave. Portage, MI 49024, with visitation from 10-11:00am at the church. A private interment will take place at Ft. Custer National Cemetery where she will be laid to rest with her husband, Tony. Memorial contributions may be made to Centrica Care Navigators, in memory of Bonnie. To view her personalized webpage, please visit https://www.langelands.com.