Verna Frances Brien Bonner died peacefully on December 26, 2011, at Elm Wood Center at Claremont.  She was 91 and had moved to Elm Wood in 2010.

Verna was born on June 21, 1920, in Manchester, NH.  She was the only child of Arthur and Etta (Roukey) Brien.  She grew up in Manchester and graduated from West High School in 1938.  In 1941, she married Robert “Bob”  J. Bonner, and they began their married life in Claremont.  Except for a short relocation to Manchester and a few years in Newport, she made Claremont her home.

Verna was a devoted wife, mother, homemaker and a good friend.   Her family was the focus of her life, and she worked tirelessly to provide a home that offered comfort, support and encouragement.  She was also a supportive partner in the family’s business, Bob Bonner’s Bike Shop.

She is survived by four children, Beverly Hobbs and her husband Stephen of Medford, Ore., Susan Bonner of Valparaiso, Ind., Stephen Bonner of Claremont, Carrie Kolenda and her husband, Bruce of Claremont.  Other survivors include her daughter-in-law, Catherine Howland Bonner of Springfield, VA; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren  .

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert and son, Robert Arthur Bonner.

A Memorial Service will be held Friday, January 13, 2012  at Eleven O’clock,  at the Stringer Funeral Home, 146 Broad Street in Claremont with Rev. Fr. Stanley J. Piwowar, officiating. 

Friends may call at the Funeral Home on Friday morning from ten to eleven o’clock.  Interment will be at a later date in Bedford, NH.

The family wish to thank, Dr Deborah Scott, Elm Wood Center and Connecticut  Valley Home Care/ Hospice.

The family suggest that donations may be made in her memory to the American Heart Association, 2 Wall St., Manchester, NH 03101; the American Cancer Society, 2 Commerce Drive., Suite 110, Bedford, NH 03110 or Connecticut Valley Home Care, 958 John Stark Highway, Newport, NH 03773-2609.