BLACKSBURG, Va. — Bonnie May (Rogers) Nelson died in Blacksburg, Virginia, on February 7, 2021, at the age of 83. She was preceded in death by her parents, Katherine and Arthur Rogers, and by her brother, Earl Rogers.
Bonnie will be missed and remembered by her sisters and brothers-in-law Jeanie and John Weber (Tulsa, Oklahoma); Marilyn and Larry Loop (San Antonio, Texas); and by her three children: Alan Nelson (Hays, Kansas), Anne Nelson (Eagle River, Alaska) and Amy Nelson (Blacksburg, Virginia), as well as her son-in-law, Tom Ewing, and grandchildren Cameron Nelson and Sinclair "Claire" Ewing-Nelson.
Born in Oakley Kansas, on May 14, 1937, Bonnie grew up in Hays, Kansas, where she graduated in 1955 from Hays High School as the valedictorian. In 1957 she graduated from Colorado Women's College and in 1959 she graduated from Fort Hays State College.
Bonnie married Roger Dean Nelson (also from Hays) in December 1958. She became an accomplished and globe-trotting homemaker, making a series of new cities and countries into comfortable homes for her growing family. After her divorce in 1991, she settled in Virginia Beach to be near her daughter, Anne, and put down deep roots in the community of faith and song surrounding Virginia Beach United Methodist Church and later the First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach. She continued to sing in the church choir and participate in Circle Rachel activities until the final year of her long illness. Last spring, she moved to Blacksburg to be closer to her daughter, Amy.
Bonnie loved shopping, travel and music. She was an accomplished harpist, avid bird watcher, and collector of fine china and stemware. Bonnie was a fabulous school teacher, successful travel agent and devoted mother. She will be remembered for her beauty, intelligence and keen wit.
Bonnie's Memorial Service will be on July 10, 2021, 10:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 305 W 7th St, Hays. A coffee hour gathering of friends and family will begin at 9:00 am at FUMC, followed by the Memorial Service, Interment at Mount Allen Cemetery, and a reception at Smoky Hill Country Club. Please call/text Alan Nelson at 785-432-2025 if you would like to attend or need more information.
Memorial donations may be made to The Warm Hearth Foundation (https://retire.org/index.php/donate-to-warm-hearth-village) or to Circle Rachel or the Chancel Choir at First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach (https://firstpresvb.org/).