BONNIE MAE TOMPKINS

Bonnie Mae Tompkins, 97, originally of Chilhowee, Missouri, died Sunday November 5th at Carnegie Village Nursing home in Belton, Missouri.

Born March 9th, 1920 in Cole County, Missouri near Henley, to Rollie H. & Bertha E. Long (Pendleton), the youngest of three children. She was married to Lloyd D. Tompkins on September 11th, 1937 in Leeton, Missouri, he proceeded her in death October 18th, 1989.

During her childhood, her family moved several times to follow her father's work on the railroad. Growing up poor during the depression gave her a lifelong habit of saving and self-sufficiency and in her words she was just "country".

When she was small, the family lived in Jefferson City, Missouri for a year or two above a small store. Then they moved southwest of Jefferson City for a few years (siblings Pauline & Lloyd went to school a couple miles away), then moved back towards Henley, on the main road, in a little two room house.

She went to school at Glendale at about 5 years old, even though she wasn't of school age yet. The family then moved to Kansas City, Kansas for three years, during which time she went to 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades. After that, they moved to Denton, Missouri, about 5 miles west of Chilhowee. She went to school at Denton in a one room school house (that is still there), graduating from the 8th grade in 1933. Her brother and sister went to school in Chilhowee at that time.

The family moved in with her grandfather William S. Pendleton, after his second wife died in April 1933, and then the three children all went to school at Eugene High School (9th grade for Bonnie), getting a ride to school with a neighbor boy. The next year the family (except for her sister Pauline, who stayed with her other grandparents to finish her senior year at Eugene), moved to Leeton Missouri, where her father was working as a section hand for the railroad. She then began attending the 10th grade at Leeton, graduating from there in 1937.

Bonnie got married the next fall after graduation, to Lloyd Tompkins in Leeton. After her marriage, the couple lived East of Leeton near Lloyd's parents for a few years, then moved over near Norris, Missouri, near Lloyd's eldest sister Edith and her husband Epperson Jerome. They lived there for a couple more a years, then moved east of Old town (Chilhowee), until moving in to Chilhowee about 1946. The couple had one child, Carl Dean, who was born January 11th, 1945. At this time they farmed and raised cattle, chickens, and had milk cows.

Bonnie worked for a fine men's clothing store (Russell Brothers in Warrensburg, Missouri), as a seamstress for many years, working 6 days a week, from about 1956 until retiring about 1990 when the store closed. She was a very accomplished seamstress and made most all of her own clothes from a young age. In her retirement, she still did sewing and alterations for many of her former customers for extra income.

She started teaching sewing for 4-H in 1940 and continued until well into her 80's (around 2007). She is the longest serving 4-H teacher in Johnson Co., Missouri history and one of the longest in the state of Missouri, with over 65 years teaching sewing to several generations of young women.

Bonnie continued working and taking care of the farm after her husband passed away in 1989. One winter she fell out in the pasture while feeding the cattle and broke her wrist. She finished her chores, went back to the house, changed clothes and drove herself to the hospital in Clinton (a 45 minute drive), to have it set and put in a cast. She never told anyone in the family about it for over a week...such was the pioneer hardiness of her generation.

Along with sewing, she loved to bake and spend time in her garden and flower beds, growing many delicious vegetables and many beautiful flowers. Her absolute favorite thing was to "dig in the dirt" and she had quite a green thumb, as she was able to grow most anything.

As a longtime resident of Chilhowee she was very active in her community and church and was a member of the Chilhowee United Methodist church for many years. Along with her husband, she helped to organize and work with the Chilhowee fair for over 60 years. She also participated in the many contests for cooking, baking, sewing etc. and won many 100's of ribbons for her items, even winning the top prize for overall most blue ribbons for several years.

She traveled very little throughout her life, but one of her favorite and cherished trips was with her grandson when he moved from Raytown, Missouri to Port Angeles, Washington in 2002. It took three days and she rode in a packed cab of a moving truck holding a plant on her lap the whole time. She was introduced to Wendy's frosties on that trip and wanted one at every stop along the way.

She had a heart attack in early 2003 and lived with her son Carl for a couple of months until she recovered. She also had a hip replaced in 2005 and again stayed with her son.

During a visit to Washington to see her grandson in 2007 (age 87), she tripped and fell while walking on the beach, landing on her left side and shattering her left shoulder ball socket. She never complained and would not go to the hospital until the next morning. Needless to say this slowed her down a bit and she decided that she couldn't take care of the farm, house and garden anymore. The family cleaned out her house during Thanksgiving week 2007 and she moved into a senior housing 4-plex apartment in Chilhowee. Her son Carl passed away in April 2006 and her ex-daughter in-law Alice agreed to look after her finances and medical needs until her grandson moved back to Missouri in 2011.

She began having symptoms of dementia & Alzheimer's in 2009, which progressed slowly over the next few years. After several episodes involving trips to the hospital, it was determined that she could no longer live alone, so she moved in with her grandson at the end of April, 2013 in Belton, Missouri.

After living with her grandson for 3 years and needing more care, she moved into the memory care facility at Carnegie Village in Belton. During the almost 2 years she was at Carnegie, her grandson and ex-daughter-in-law Alice Crosby would visit her almost daily. She had her good days along with the bad, but was so thankful for the visits and cards she received.

She was proceeded in death by her parents, sister Pauline Miller, brother Lloyd, husband Lloyd and son Carl. She is survived by her grandson Steve of Belton, step-grandsons Lynnie & Monte, and step granddaughter Natalie, along with several step great grandchildren.

Services will be held at the Chilhowee United Methodist church on Saturday November 11th, with visitation at 9am and service at 10am, with burial in Mineral Creek cemetery near Leeton. Honorary pall bearers are Rick Miller, Jerry Jerome, George Crosby, Max Bancroft, Steve Spear, Steve Tompkins.

Arrangements: Cullen Funeral Home, Raymore, MO 816.322.5278