March 20, 2015 at 5:02 p.m.
Bonnie Stowers
Bonnie Stowers
Bonnie was born in Ohio, lived briefly in Florida, and grew up in the Wisconsin Dells area. She was smart, insightful and could talk to anyone. She used these skills as a paralegal before becoming a self-taught newspaper reporter. Bonnie believed that every person has a story to tell if you just ask them the right questions. She wrote about many things, but she was particularly drawn to the poor, disabled and minorities. Bonnie cared deeply about those she covered, and their stories were more important to her than anything she received in return, which was good because the pay was low.
Among many subjects, Bonnie covered Native American issues, and she was the only white reporter allowed inside the novitiate at Wounded Knee, S.D. during a protest that made national news in the 1970s. Bonnie tracked down Elvis Presley's Army Sargent living in the Northwoods, confirming the legend that Elvis once visited here. Bonnie also rediscovered the fact that Rhinelander is the resting place of the coach after whom college football's Heisman Trophy is named, and she co-wrote a front-page story about it with her son in 1981. Her articles were published all over the country, and she received a number of awards for her work.
She loved music and apparently believed that if she sang along with Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt records long enough, she, too, could become a singer. She told tales that made us laugh, like the one about a long-lost relative who tried to use a gun to dispatch a large fish he had boated, missed, and sank the boat. Rumor also has it that she was related to Marie Antoinette, Paul Revere, Geronimo and an airplane wing-walker named Stinky Powell. We'll never know for sure. In recent years, Bonnie would make a daily trip to downtown Rhinelander for lunch. She had a huge heart, enjoyed the company of friends and strangers alike, and is remembered fondly by those she saw on her daily visits. The same feeling was shared by the kind and caring professionals who took care of her in recent months, some of whom cried when she left us.
Bonnie is survived by three sons Russ, Mike and Dean; three grandchildren Ben, Katie and Shakira; two daughters-in-law Patty and Aijan); and many friends (you know who you are).
We will not be having a traditional funeral service for Bonnie because she was not a traditional person. If you want to do something to honor her, please find a way to help someone in need. She would like that very much. You can also post private remembrances of her at http://www.carlsonfuneralhomes.com/obituaries.
On Bonnie's last day, her grandson played saxophone for the residents at her nursing home, and the sweet sounds of jazz carried to the room where she lay sleeping. He played a song for her called "I'll Be Seeing You" that includes these lyrics: I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day In everything that's light and gay I'll always think of you that way We love and miss you, Mom. You will always be with us. The Carlson Funeral Home (715-369-1414) is handling the arrangements for the Stowers family.
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