Obituaries 2-20

Bonnie Wenzel

Bonnie Wenzel, a cheerful and kind woman with a heart of gold, died Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012. She was 72 and had been living in Shalimar with her daughter’s family. If you saw her, you’d remember — she used a motorized wheelchair and tooled around in a blue customized van. She’d had enough hard knocks in her life to make Job throw up his hands, but she never gave up. She just kept going.

Bonnie had a handicap right from birth, her name — Bonelyn Kwiatanowski, which was hard to pronounce and even more difficult to spell. She was born Oct. 5, 1939, and grew up in Ambridge, Pa., surrounded by relatives. She loved the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers all her life.

She met her husband, Rich Wenzel, at a frozen custard stand on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, N.J. She graduated from Penn State, he from the University of Miami, and when he joined the Air Force, they traveled the world together. They arrived in Fort Walton Beach in the early 1970s and never left. Eventually, they built their dream home on Joe’s Bayou in Destin.

Bonnie worked in real estate sales and at the department store Howard’s in Fort Walton Beach, where people knew her by the sound of her laugh. Before retiring, she worked at Walmart in Destin, in the cash office.

Bonnie loved her grandchildren and loved her church, Westminster Presbyterian in Fort Walton Beach. She supported Desire Street Ministries and Prison Ministries, loved to sing in the choir, and never missed a Broadway show at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center.

She is survived by her daughter, Tracy Conner; son, Randy Wenzel; sister, Ann Lindsey; son-in-law Tom Conner; and grandchildren Megan Conner, Evan Conner, Tyler Conner, and Carly Harsha. Bonnie had a special place in her heart for her sister-in-law, Jeanne Wenzel, her pastor, Bill Tyson, and her doctor, Yvette Novak. She was preceded in death by her husband Rich and parents, Mary and Leo.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 25 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2 Woodham Ave. in Fort Walton Beach. Bonnie loved flowers and would appreciate them, or you can make a donation in her name to Westminster Presbyterian.

Mom, we hope your angel wings lift you up and make you light on your feet. Both feet.

William "Bill" Joseph O'Connor

William "Bill" Joseph O'Connor passed away on Feb. 16 after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease and Type I Diabetes.

He was born on June 14, 1939 in Philadelphia, Penn., and fell in love with the Emerald Coast while serving at Eglin Air Force Base. After his service in the Air Force, Bill opened the first insurance agency in Destin, Fla., in 1975. An active member of Destin's business and civic community, Bill held many board positions, but focused most of his time in the Destin Rotary Club. In addition to being a founding charter member of the organization and past president, he established the Destin Rotary Club Scholarship Fund, which has supported college-bound Destin residents for decades.

Bill was an avid fisherman and boating enthusiast who never missed an opportunity to be on his beloved boat, the Okey Doke. All who knew Bill were aware of his great love for animals, especially the abandoned. His last 10 years were spent on his horse farm in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., also appropriately named The Okey Doke.

His father, William J. O'Connor, his mother Joyce Farr O'Connor, and his first wife, Mary Lou Hall O'Connor, predeceased him.

He is survived by his wife, Page Russell O'Connor of Niceville, Fla., and his children Kelly O'Connor of Denver, Colo., William J. "Billy" O'Connor, Jr. of Quepos, Costa Rica, and James Benham "Ben" O'Connor of Destin.

A memorial gathering will be held from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Palms of Destin Resort, 4201 Indian Bayou Trail.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Destin Rotary Scholarship Foundation, Rotary Club of Destin, P.O. Box 951, Destin, FL 32540, or Alaqua Animal Refuge, 914 Whitfield Rd., Freeport, FL 32439.

Mary Frances Green Dawson

Mary Frances ("Faffy") Green Dawson died peacefully on Feb. 16, 2012. Born Aug. 22, 1926, in Nashville, Tenn., she was a long-time resident of Navarre Beach and Fort Walton Beach. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, her parents and two brothers.

She is survived by her two children, Dottie Dawson of Austin, Texas, and Hank Dawson of Destin, Fla.; her sister, Dorothy Tune of Shelbyville, Tenn.; and many extended family members.

She will be sorely missed by her family and friends, including her network of bridge players. She was a devoted Catholic and a member of St. Peter Catholic Church.

A time of visitation will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 at St. Peter Catholic Church, 100 Francis St., Mary Esther, Fla. A funeral mass will follow at 11 a.m. with Fr. Paul White officiating. Burial will be at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Nashville, Tenn.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Peter Catholic Church, Life, Inc. or a charity of your choice.