Donald Bonine of Oroville CA formerly of Lyons NE

Donald Bonine

Donald Dean Bonine was born in Des Moines, Iowa to Elver and Bernice Bonine on September 4, 1937 and died in Oroville, California on September 10, 2015.

The family moved to Omaha, Nebraska when Don was 2 years old and subsequently moved to Lyons, Nebraska when Don was in grade school. Don loved growing up in Lyons and graduated from Lyons High School in 1957. He attended Wayne State College for a year. In his early years, Don worked for McMonie’s Grocery Store and the Creamery in Lyons and Falstaff Brewery and Omaha Steaks in Omaha, but his real love was cooking and he had an exceptional talent for the culinary arts. He worked in all types of restaurants in the western half of the United States. He loved traveling to different areas of the country and working in different types of restaurants. He always said that he would learn something new at each restaurant and his motto was “have spatula, will travel”. Don also shared his culinary skills with the community of Bangor, California by cooking fund raising dinners for the Community Hall and Park and by cooking barbecued lunches for the volunteer clean up crew for Bangor Cemetery. He was an avid outdoorsman/fisherman and enjoyed camping and boating with his family and friends. He also enjoyed music and sports, especially football. Don was also a licensed barber. Throughout Don’s life, the state of Nebraska, and the town of Lyons, was always “home” to him and he loved returning for visits with family and friends. He was a proud Nebraskan.

Don was preceded in death by his father and stepmother, Elver “Barney” and Ann Bonine, his mother and stepfather, Bernice and Ray Lindeman, and his sister and brother in law, Bonnie and Earl Miller.

Survivors include his significant other of 16 years, Kathleen Arnoldsen of Bangor, Ca.; his children, Michael (Heidi) Bonine of Wahoo, Ne., Kristi (Mark) Beers of Logan, Ia, Diane (Richard) Neal of Destin, Fl., Mark Bonine of Omaha, Ne., Melissa Velez of Omaha, Ne., Matthew (Suan) Bonine of Denver, Co., and Michelle Bonine of Portland, Or. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. In addition, Don is survived by Kathleen’s daughters, Pamela of Los Angeles Ca., Victoria (Kim) of Chino Hills, Ca., Sandra (Kent) of Chino Hills, Ca., and Lisa (Dan) of Chino Hills, Ca.,13 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren, Kathleen’s mother, Catherine Lichty of Anaheim Hills, Ca.and Kathleen’s brother Pat (Lohri) Phelan and children of Anaheim Hills, Ca.

GRAVESIDE MEMORIAL SERVICE: Saturday, October 10, 2015, 1 pm, at the Lyons Cemetery

NO VISITATION

MEMORIALS: To the family to be designated at a later date

Please feel free to send your condolences to the family.
Each condolence will be printed and given to the family after the service.

pelan@pelanfuneralservices.com