Eulogy by Katy Klinkenberg (friend of Bonnie)

Presented by Katy on 8/11/07...

I’m Katy Klinkenberg. Bonnie and I have been dear friends since we met at Dartmouth 20 years ago.

It’s a privilege to speak about Bonnie, about her beautiful life. I want to share a few of the things I love about her in the hopes of capturing a fraction of what she was to me and to all of us.

I love Bonnie’s moxie. Once, while visiting Seattle en route to a Starbucks meeting in Tokyo, realized that she’d forgotten her passport at home. So she called Howard Shultz to ask if she could get a ride to Japan with him in his private jet.

I love Bonnie’s thoughtfulness. She spent her time in the hospital, right up to this week, making gifts for her friends and their children.

I love Bonnie’s style. She always had something beautiful to wear but often chose to look beautiful instead in sweats and a very white t-shirt.

I love Bonnie’s wildly varying talents, and that our art history major became an investment banker.

I love Bonnie’s sparkling personality. She once engaged Arnold Schwartzenagger in conversation at a benefit event so that she could tell him, in her mischievous way, that I could do a good impression of him (so I had to do it, and it wasn’t good at all, and she’s probably out there, still laughing about it).

I love Bonnie’s keen intellect. She liked to walk at a tortoise’s pace, but her mind moved at the speed of lightning.

I love Bonnie’s courage, for being so brave and graceful in her fight with leukemia. I am truly in awe of her ability to accept what came her way, and to be at peace.

Lastly, I love Bonnie’s total devotion to Devon and Isabel – and this is a quote from Devon a few days ago: “Mommy, you are the best mommy in the WHOLE world.”