Obituary of Bonnie J Williams

Bonnie J. Williams, age 92 of Coralville, formerly of Iowa City died Wednesday, August 2, 2023, after a long battle with congestive heart failure at Grand Living at Bridgewater in Coralville.

Visitation will be held at 2pm Sunday, August 6, 2023, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City with services following at 4pm Sunday at the funeral home.  Graveside services will be held at 2pm Monday at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Maryville, Missouri.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Bonnie’s memory to the Bud Williams Cross Country Scholarship Fund c/o ICCSD Foundation or the Iowa Library for the Blind, 524 Fourth Street, Des Moines, IA 50309.

Bonnie Jean Bowman was born March 5, 1931, in Maryville, MO, eldest daughter of Monroe and Inez (Livengood) Bowman.  Most babies were born at home those days, but a trip to the hospital was necessary in a raging snowstorm, which made for a fourteen-day hospital stay before mother and daughter could return home. 

Her family lived on a farm west of Elmo, MO next to her grandparents, then later moved to a farm east of Maryville.  She attended Pioneer Country School through the 7th grade, 8th grade in Ravenwood, MO, and 2 years at Horace Mann High School transferring to Maryville High School where she graduated in 1949.  She then attended Northwest Missouri State College for a year and a half.

On September 1, 1949, she married Audra “Bud” L. Williams.  The couple moved to Harlan, IA in 1954 where Bud began his teaching career.  Coming to Iowa City in 1958, Bud began a career in the Iowa City Community School District, joined by Bonnie after their youngest child started school.  She worked as an assistant librarian first at Central Junior High for 17 years, and then 10 years at City High School before retiring. Throughout the years, Bonnie was invaluable to her family while supporting her husband’s teaching and coaching career. Especially, Cross-Country and Track at City High School where she kept the records, typed the reports, and organized runners for each of the meets. 

Bonnie loved spending time with her family, camping, boating, waterskiing, fishing and especially time in Canada at their cabin.

Her family includes her husband of nearly 74 years, Bud; their children, Stephen Williams (Christine), Kathy Wyatt-Hanes (Gary Hanes), Audra “Wayne” Williams (Linda), and John Williams (Mary Lee); 8 grandchildren, Stephanie Keeton (Justin), Zachary Williams (Rachel), Jeffrey Williams (Hannah), Melissa Clark (Brandon Baines), Cassandra Palasiewicz (Tomasz), Robert “Brandon” Hanes (Tiffany), Hilliary Lukes (Brad) and John Williams; 13 great-grandchildren, Benjamin & Tessa Williams, Langley & Remee Williams, Wyatt Clark, Krissa Laidlaw, Lincoln & Sawyer Palasiewicz, Emma, Adelyn, & Vivian Hanes, Ryne & Addison Lukes; 2 brothers, Marvin & Ronald Bowman; 1 sister, Mary Alice Jackson; numerous nieces & nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother-in-law, Wayne Jackson; 2 sisters-in-laws, Carolyn & Charlene Bowman; niece, Nancy Bowman; nephew, Darwin Bowman.