Constance A Bonner

In Loving Memory of Constance A. Bonner (nee Brown)
August 21, 1932 – October 14, 2025
Constance “Connie” Bonner (nee Brown) of Westfield, NJ, beloved wife, mother, grandmother
and great-grandmother passed away peacefully on October 14, 2025, at the age of 93.
Connie was born to Marguerite Murray and Charles Brown in Bayonne, NJ and grew up during
the Great Depression under the watchful eye of her mother, Marguerite, by then a determined
single mom raising four children. Connie and her older brother Charlie helped care for their
younger siblings, Beverly and Eddie, long before she had a family of her own—setting the tone
for a lifetime of taking care of others.
Connie graduated from Bayonne High School in 1950, where she was a member of the
cheerleading squad and formed a lifelong friendship with Margie Jones. Shortly after graduation,
she began her career as a secretary at Maidenform, setting the tone for a lifetime of hard work,
resilience, and dedication.
In Bayonne, Connie met and married Michael “Mickey” Bonner, and they welcomed three
children into the world together eventually moving from Bayonne to Roselle, and finally to
Westfield, NJ, where Connie lived for 52 years.
Connie was the kind of person who showed up for anyone who needed her—whether it was
taking in a stray pit bull (Cheesie), quietly helping a wayward soul, or helping with her
grandchildren.  One story includes bailing out one of her son’s friends just before he was to be
transferred to the county jail and then bringing him along to lunch at La Griglia along with her
granddaughter Kim. 
In her forties, Connie rejoined the workforce as a secretary at Graver Water, where she worked
for another 15 years. During that time, she also faced and overcame three battles with cancer,
displaying remarkable strength and determination.
A regular at Linden Lanes, she cherished time spent with her beloved “bowling friends” and
famously bowled five consecutive strikes just days before suffering a debilitating stroke in 2021.
Though the stroke left her unable to walk, she continued to welcome friends and family to her
home with a big smile, a sharp wit, and deep gratitude—thanks in no small part to her caregiver
and friend, Vesper Cato-Palmer.
She was preceded in death by her husband Mickey, her mother Marguerite, and her siblings
Charlie (Ruth), Beverly and Eddie.
Connie is survived by her children, Patricia Burton (Mark), James Bonner (Nancy), and Michael
Bonner (Kim), her grandchildren, Kimberly Dube (Bukhosi), James “JP” Bonner, Kara Bonner,
Kelly Burton (Drew Bundschuh), Thomas Burton, Lucas Bonner, and Cecilia Bonner, her great-
grandson, Themba Dube, her honorary great-grandchildren, Sophia and Thabo Dube and many
cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

Connie touched more lives than can be counted. Her kindness, humor, and unwavering loyalty
will live on in the stories we tell, the jokes we repeat, and the lessons we absorbed from the way
she lived.
In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Connie’s memory by making a donation to a charity
close to your heart—she’d love that.
Services will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Redeemer
Lutheran Church, 229 Cowperthwaite Place, Westfield, NJ.

 Visitation at the Church begins at 9:00 AM, memorial service at 10:00 AM, followed by
interment at Saint Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia, NJ.