(May 19, 1931 – December 19, 2023)
Gwendolyn Bonner: Extraordinary mother, teacher, seamstress, musician
Gwendolyn Maxine Bonner was born May 19, 1931, in Strawn, Texas. She died Dec. 19, 2023, in Glen Rose, Texas.
Gwen was a longtime Hico, Texas resident. She taught school in New Mexico and Texas from the early 1950s to the early 1990s, when she retired from the Hico school district. She was skilled at keeping her students focused on learning as she taught everything from reading to home economics through the years.
Gwen was highly creative all her life, as both a seamstress and a pianist.
She started sewing as a child in the Ranger, Texas, area. Her fashion sense began with a love of shoes growing up, when getting a new pair was an event. She went on to make designer-level clothing for herself and her children. Gwen had exquisite taste and a discerning eye for color, proportion and detail. Her home was beautifully decorated with things she loved.
Gwen graduated from Abilene Christian University (then Abilene Christian College) in the 1950s with an education degree, but she started college as a piano major. She was a gifted musician, born with the ability to play almost anything by ear. She often accompanied her father, David Bailey Woods, as he played fiddle.
Gwen is survived by her three children, Judy Wiley, James Wiley and Kelly Wiley; sister Cevellia Roberts and brothers Tim and Floyd Woods; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husbands James L. Wiley and Frank Bonner; and brother Bailey “Bubba” Woods.
Service Information
Visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. on Friday, December 22, at the Harvest Hills Funeral Home in Hico. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 23, at the Hico Church of Christ.
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