Bonnie Prunka's Obituary
Bonnie Louise Prunka peacefully passed away on November 29, 2022, at the age of 72, with her husband and children at her side. She was born on June 29, 1950 in West Virginia to the late Floyd and Mary Spence. She was the daughter-in-law to the late Bill and Helen Prunka. One of ten children, family was the cornerstone of her life, as she grew up the younger sister to Greg and Jenny, and the older sister to Deva, Marty, Tim, Grace, Dave, Mike, and Paul. In addition to her siblings, she is survived by her loving husband, Tim; son Brian (Sonia); daughter Betsy and son-in-law Kevin; grandchildren Alex (Taylor), Jack, and Luke; brother-in-law William (Suzanne); and sister-in-law Susie (Dave) and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Bonnie had tremendous love of, and pride in, her family. She met Tim during orientation week of their freshman year at Wheeling College in 1968, forging a bond that would define and nourish them over the next 54 years, as they built a life together that brought joy and laughter to so many friends and family members. She lovingly and willingly opened her home to siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws and many others, whether it was a short visit to sunny South Florida, a family reunion, or a longer stay. She was an incredible daughter-in-law to Bill and Helen. As a mother to Betsy and Brian, she was a tremendous role model and nurturer. When Betsy brought Kevin home, she instantly welcomed him to the family and became a second mother to him. As a grandmother, she was the epitome of selfless and unyielding love. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her grandsons. She was always there to help, putting family first, and the needs of others ahead of her own.
Beyond a large and loving family, Bonnie enjoyed spending time with many friends throughout the years, especially if it involved a long dinner with conversation and storytelling, or traveling. There are too many special people to mention here, but anyone who visited Bonnie in Watkins Glen, went out to dinner in Miami, sailed in Biscayne Bay, or traveled to Japan or Italy with her – just to name a few cherished memories - then you know how she enriched the lives of all those around her, and how much she loved spending time with you.
Bonnie was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2015, and we thought she beat it. But it came back in 2019, and she battled it courageously for more than three and a half years. We called her our “Quiet Warrior” as she never complained, regardless of the trials and tribulations of aggressive treatment. She was our hero and role model all the way to the end, showing us how to be strong despite real adversity, to never lose hope, and to appreciate the gift of life each and every day. She will be greatly missed by all of those left behind. To know her, to be her friend or family member, and to have been loved by her, was truly a blessing.
A funeral mass will be held at 11:30 AM Monday, December 12 at St. Therese Catholic Church. Visitation will be 10:30-11:30 AM prior in the church narthex. See Livestream Info Below.
A reception will immediately follow at the family home. The address is: 322 Queens Cove Road Mooresville, NC 28117.
In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome any donations to help fund cancer research through either the V Foundation or the Susan G. Komen Foundation, via the following links:
https://vfoundation.donordrive.com/campaign/Bonnie-Prunka-memorial-
https://secure.info-komen.org/site/TR/DIYFundraising/ONE_Komen?px=26557597&pg=personal&fr_id=9504
James Funeral Home is serving the family.
Details for LIVE access are below:
Funeral date for Bonnie Prunka : December 12, 2022 @ 11:30am
Livestream start time: 11:27am
Livestream end time: 12:45pm
The Broadcast can be accessed LIVE from this page on our website: https://www.sainttherese.net/mass-livestream
Viewers should scroll down the page and click the arrow in the center of the StreamSpot viewer to start watching the stream (It will say “Live” in the upper left corner beginning at 11:27am).
To access the broadcast after the funeral:
The broadcast can also be watched from the Mass Livestream page on our website for 1 week after the funeral has ended. Viewers will need to click in the StreamSpot viewer, then click the option for “Previous Broadcasts.” From there, us the arrows to scroll through the broadcasts to get to the funeral and then click the picture to play the broadcast.
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