Bonnie L. Rodger

Bonnita Louise Rodger, beloved wife and loving mother, died Tuesday, Dec. 20 at her home in Prescott, Ariz. She was 83.
Bonnie was born Aug. 11, 1928, in Colville, Wash. Her father, Alsberg Auzie Anderson, was a pharmacist and owned a store in Pullman, Wash. Her mother, Vera Mae Dorman, was from Missouri and met Auzie through grange hall dances.
In the summer of 1947, Bonnie worked at Lake Lodge in Yellowstone National Park where she met her husband, William Bill Rodger. Bill had come to Yellowstone for the summer from the University of Michigan where he was studying engineering. The first thing that attracted me to her was her bright green raincoat, he said.
After a brief, six-week romance, Bonnie returned home in August, because her mother was sick. Vera soon passed away, and as the oldest, Bonnie stepped into the mother-role, caring for her father, her sister, Jeannie, and her brother, Dorman.
Bonnie continued a long distance relationship with Bill through letters, and he soon came to Washington to visit her. In turn, she visited him at Michigan University.
Bonnie and Bill were married Aug. 24, 1950 in Pleasant Ridge, Mich. After 18 months of living in Athens, Ohio they decided to move west with their six-month-old daughter, Barbara.
Portland, Wash. became their new home for the next four years. Bill worked for Ameron International, an engineering manufacturing company. During this time, Bonnie contracted Polio when she was pregnant with her second child, Bruce. The cure for Polio came out too late, and Bonnie struggled with Post-Polio Syndrome for the rest of her life.
Ameron asked Bill if he would like to work out of Hawaii, and he jumped at the opportunity. Bonnie particularly loved Hawaii, said Bill. One of the things she appreciated most was when her youngest daughter, Betty, would pick a gardenia blossom from their garden and put it on her pillow in the early morning, he said.
Bonnie was active in the P.E.O., a philanthropic organization dedicated to the advancement, education and motivation of women, and also worked as a travel agent. Bill and Bonnie spent five memorable weeks in New Zealand, and visited Germany, Switzerland and Austria on another trip.
Hawaii was the most enjoyable part of our lives, Bill said. However, because of Bills job, they relocated to Los Angeles in 1982. 18 months later, a transfer opportunity came up and they chose to move again, this time to Sun Lakes, Ariz. After 10 years of overwhelming heat in Sun Lakes, they moved to Prescott, Ariz. where they retired.
Bill and Bonnie enjoyed the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. After first discovering the plays in Sun Lakes, they began to travel to Cedar City twice a year to see both the summer and fall play series.
In addition to the Shakespeare Festival, Bonnie and Bill continued their love of travel. In 2000, they toured England with a Shakespeare Festival group, and then traveled north to Scotland. Their travels also brought them to Alaska, where they spent a number of weeks exploring the Alaska coastline.
In Arizona, Bonnie continued to be active in the P.E.O. She enjoyed reading, sewing, knitting caps for premature babies, and visits to and from her children.
The Bradshaw Crematory in Prescott will hold a private cremation service. Bonnie is survived by her husband, Bill, her sister, Jeannie, her children, Barbara, Bruce and Betty, and her grandchildren, Jennifer, Monica, Shelby, Rian and Bryce.