Bonnie Garramone

Bonnie Jean Garramone (Lynch), 94, passed peacefully May 29, 2023, surrounded by family. She was born November 9,1928, in Granger, Iowa to Charles Lynch and Myrtle Hobbs – raised on a farm with her three sisters and a brother. As a child, Bonnie embraced and embodied balance of farm and academic life. She loved farm activities and especially her and her sister’s horses, Silver and Sugar.

At age 15, Bonnie moved with her mother and sister to Englewood, CO, where she attended Englewood High School. Bonnie then attended and graduated from Colorado State College in Greeley, now known as the University of Northern Colorado, where she met her husband, Lou Garramone.

After graduation, Bonnie and Lou moved back from Greeley to the Denver area where Bonnie was a middle school teacher in Commerce City. She became an Englewood pre-school teacher and Title 1 math teacher. Bonnie passionately engaged her daughters Lynne, Jill, Kim and Meliss in all that the Denver area and Colorado had to offer. From sewing her daughter’s clothes, to leading camping trips of Girl Scouts, to taking leadership roles for swimming and cheerleading activities, to being a constant force in the local high school sports scene – Bonnie rarely ever stopped moving.

In retirement, Bonnie transformed a long-time genealogy hobby into becoming a leading expert in the field in Denver. She led genealogy projects and contributed to books for the Colorado Historical Society – including seminal research and storytelling for the book  Italy in Colorado  , Bonnie’s research and storytelling continued to the end of her life – extensively documenting her own family’s stories late in her life, including her ancestral connection to colonial America.

Bonnie was extremely active in the lives of her daughters and their families – regularly taking trips or attending games or activities of her five grandsons. She had a passion for history, storytelling, travel, friends, family and sports – always taking the time to make everyone around her feel welcome.

Bonnie is survived by her daughters Lynne Mason, Jill Garramone, Kim Amidei (husband Bryan Skarda) and Meliss Garramone (husband Chris Larson); grandsons Luke Blaser (wife Sunny), Vince Blaser (wife Saranga), Joe Amidei, Max Blaser (wife Shayna) and Jack Amidei (wife Reanna,); and great grandchildren Jaya Blaser, Riley Blaser, Shail Blaser, Saylor Amidei, Isaac Blaser, Mike Amidei and Madden Amidei. She was preceded in death by her husband Lou Garramone, son-in-law Jude Mason, her mother Myrtle, father Charles, sisters Lorene, LaVon, and Virginia and brother Wayne.

A Memorial Service will be held at Horan & McConaty - HeartLight Center, 11150 E Dartmouth Ave on Tuesday at 2:00PM on June 27, 2023.   Please RSVP for the Memorial Service no later than Tuesday, June 20th by 12:00PM, details can be found below.   Bonnie’s event: June 27, 2pm is a very casual reception. Food will be served. To RSVP, please email the funeral director at ehopsonsonboyd@horancares.com .

Donations are appreciated in Bonnie’s name: Denver Teachers Club (Handicap/Rehab Equipment). 1617 S. Acoma Street, Denver, CO 80223.