Bonnie Jean Adams

Bonnie Jean Adams passed away on Nov.17th at Rockwood at Whitworth, in Spokane. She was born on January 8 th 1932 to Arthur and Eleanor Schlappi in Portland OR.

She was the oldest of 4 children. As a child, she enjoyed going on adventures with her dad who was a tugboat

captain on the Columbia River, traveling up and down the river and watching the Navy boats come in. Her family spent many vacations and weekends at Seaside OR, digging for razor clams and playing on the beach. She never lost her love of the Ocean.

In high school she played the clarinet in the marching band and she learned to sew with her favorite teacher who helped her to hand sew a beautiful blouse that got her a job in alterations at Ungars, a high end fashion and fur retailer in Portland. This is where she discovered what would become a lifelong love of sewing. She would go on to make beautiful wedding dresses, christening gowns, quilts, dolls and matching dresses for all of her girls. Her children remember her always having a sewing project going at her machine in the corner of the living room.

She met her husband of 55 years, Gene Adams, on a blind date where they went ice skating with friends. She was an excellent skater and he was not, so he was very frustrated and embarrassed. Their second date was finding a Christmas tree for her family’s home. The tree did not meet with her mothers approval and she refused to put it up. Despite those disastrous first dates, they went on to marry in 1952 and lived in Portland where their first daughter was born. Gene then whisked Bonnie and the new baby off to the mountains and his hometown of Metaline WA in 1953, where three more daughters and a son joined the family. The challenge to find the perfect Christmas tree was carried on by Gene, their children and even grandchildren for the next 70 years!

As a new wife and mother, she spent countless hours at the doctor with her first daughter who contracted polio as an infant and needed specialized medical care. Bonnie would haul her sewing machine with her to help occupy her time while staying in Coeur D'Alene and Spokane during the extended medical treatments.

In 1964 Bonnie and Gene finished building their dream home in Metaline. They designed the home themselves and Bonnie spent every day cleaning up after contractors and helping where she could to save them money on the project. She kept a beautiful home and an even more beautiful yard full of fruit trees, massive pots of gorgeous flowers, and a rose garden she loved. She became a Master Gardener and she loved to share her knowledge of all things gardening.

She was a leader of the local Girl Scout troop where she took the group camping, taught the girls to sew, cook and how to be good citizens. She led the group with her lifelong friend, Marcelle Kubota.

Bonnie was a member of the United Church of Christ where she served on the Women’s Fellowship for many years. She remembers bringing meals to the family members of a lost hunter while they waited for search and rescue to find him and making more meals than she can even count for families, weddings and funerals held at the church.

She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary for over 50 years where she continued her service to the community.

Bonnie made beautiful and delicious pies that the entire family couldn’t wait to consume at every holiday and family gathering. She always curated beautiful holidays with decorations and food that everyone could rave about.

She lived a full and busy 92 years. The saying “If you are going to do it, do it right’, certainly applied to Bonnie and the way she lived her life. She loved babies and was highly suspicious of teenagers. She was always ready to share a cup of coffee and a sweet with whomever may stop by. She was the friend who always kept the connection going through cards, phone calls and visits. She would often jokingly comment that her only regret in life is that she never got to shop enough. Small town living never took the city out of Bonnie!

She is preceded in death by many family members including her husband Gene Adams, son Mark Adams and son-in-law Allan Emrick. She is survived by her daughter’s Cynthia Brocha (Don Brocha), Laurie Lyons, Jane Emrick and Sarah Quintana (Phillip Hernandez) and 10 grandchildren and 14 great-granchildren.