Obituary of Bonnie Marie

Bonnie Marie Early in the morning of June 3, 1946, Bonnie Marie Moats was born to Dick & Elva Moats at the old St. Peter Hospital on Sherman Street in Olympia. Our first little “bundle of joy” weighed 6 lbs. and 4 oz. She was joined later by brothers Richard and Gary, but those are separate stories. When Bonnie’s father re-enlisted in the Army in February 1947, she became quite the world traveler before the age of 7. She crossed the United States to and from the Washington DC area 4 times, one trip by train and 3 in our car. She also accompanied her parents on separate trips to Monterey, Petaluma, and San Diego California. In February 1952, she sailed on an Army Transport ship from Seattle to Japan, by way of Adak, Alaska. Less than a year later, Bonnie returned by ship to Seattle with her family. While in Japan, Bonnie started in the 1st grade in school, but finished her first year at Garfield School in west Olympia. In 1955, she moved with her family to the Schneider’s Prairie area, north of Olympia. She began attending Griffin Elementary where Mrs. Whitmarsh was the Principal. In continuation of her world travels, Bonnie accompanied Mrs. Whitmarsh and her 8th grade classmates on a trip to Victoria, British Columbia. This was a traditional activity for the 8th grade classes at Griffin, at the time. Some former Griffin students may remember those trips with fond nostalgia. Bonnie began her High School education at the old, brick school building on Capitol Way. In the middle of her freshman year, she moved into the new Olympia High facility on North Street, with the rest of the school’s students. After her graduation from Olympia in 1964, she attended Washington State College for one year. Bonnie’s debut in Washington State Government employment was with the Dept. of Natural Resources. She later worked for the Dept. of Revenue for a short time, before joining the staff at Evergreen State College where she worked as an Administrative Assistant from 1972 to 1982 and 1999 to 2008. Bonnie and Ken Marshall were married in Lacey on Dec. 31, 1978. He survives her and will always miss the love of his life. Bonnie and Ken moved to Portland, OR in 1982. She worked for Harsh Investments as Administrative Asst. to the VP from 1983 till 1999, when they returned to Olympia. She was immediately rehired at The Evergreen State College. Bonnie retired from state service in April of this year. In addition to her husband Ken, Bonnie is survived by two brothers, Gary and Richard Moats, and her parents, all of Olympia. After returning to Olympia from Portland, Bonnie accepted Jesus into her life and worshipped and served Him until the end. She was a joy to all of us, and her family misses her immensely. Rest in Peace, Bonnie, until we see you again. To leave a condolence, please click on View Guestbook below: