April 21, 1938 - December 4, 2023
Bonnie Paetkau (Johnson) died peacefully at home surrounded by family. The eldest of four sisters, Bonnie was raised in the Icelandic community of Siglunes near Lake Manitoba, on her family’s large farm.
At 16, Bonnie taught grades K-12 in a one room school house but left Manitoba at age 17 to attend Ryerson University in Toronto. During the summer of 1956 Bonnie ventured to Hay River, NWT, where she helped organize a festival and ended up falling for the young man she recruited to play the horse’s ass in a skit. His name was Eric Paetkau. Eric and Bonnie were married in San Diego in 1959 before finding their way to the Sunshine Coast that same year.
Bonnie was a small business owner, mentor, great friend, exceptional cook, and an active member of her community. As a pillar of the Anglican Church, Bonnie was an early and powerful advocate for inclusivity and played a pivotal role in St. Hilda’s (Sechelt) being one of eight parishes within the Diocese to support same-sex unions. In 2012, Bonnie was awarded the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster.
Predeceased by her parents Oskar and Olga Johnson, her sister Olof, her daughter Ingrid (1966), and her granddaughter Soren (1994). Bonnie is survived by her sisters Alda and Heather.
The much loved wife, mother, sister, aunt, and “Amma” of our family, Bonnie leaves behind her loving husband Eric, her children Karin (Karsten Kydland), Carla (Jack Bryson), Guy, Mark (Nicola), and David as well as her beloved grandchildren, Molly, Lydia, Bjorn, Malcolm, Duncan, Ingrid, Owen, Brynja, Rhys, Blythe, Zya, Lauren, and Oskar.
In lieu of flowers please support [email protected] “Outreach” to help locals in need. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, April 20th at 2pm at St. Hilda’s Church, Sechelt.
To know her was to love her ~
Samuel Rogers.
