Bonnie Lee Mathes, née Dodd, a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away on November 22, 2024 in Lompoc, CA at the age of 91. Born on July 19, 1933, in Junction City, Kansas, she became the first papergirl for the town's newspaper, the Daily Union. Bonnie graduated from Junction City High School and did accounting and repairs in her brother's radio and TV repair shop. She worked as a secretary at Central National Bank, an office deputy for the Junction City Police Department, and was also her hometown's first female deputy sheriff.

She moved with her husband and children to Lompoc, CA, where she has lived since 1967. She retired from the Lompoc Unified school district in 1995, where she had worked as a teacher's aide educating students with severe learning disabilities. She kindly opened her home over the years to care for multiple foster children.

Bonnie enjoyed gardening, jigsaw puzzles, drawing, and painting. She also enjoyed learning how to use new technology and gadgets. She and her brothers often stayed in contact via HAM radio. Her children fondly remember her singing to them often at bedtime, with Somewhere Over the Rainbow and popular songs from the 1950's being favorites.

Bonnie was preceded in death by husband Ralph Mathes, daughter Janice Ilene Mathes, brother Robert Dodd, and half-sister Neta Baldridge. She is survived by her daughters Christine Oertel and her husband David, Marilyn Velez, and Donita Krick, her son Ralph Mathes II, and brothers James Dodd and Larry Dodd, She is also survived by several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A private family service will be held in the spring to honor Bonnie's life.