Written by Shauna Carmichael

On April 27th, 2024, we lost our mother, Bonita Joan Carmichael — or as she preferred, Bonnie. She is now reunited with our dad, Blenis, and her parents, Stella and Iggie Garlinski. She leaves behind three daughters, three siblings, four grandchildren, and her dog Alfie.

She grew up as Bonita Joan Garlinski in Dauphin, Manitoba. She spent her school years there before moving to Winnipeg to pursue a career as a Registered Nurse. She fell in love and married her sweetheart, Blenis, in 1972, and together they built a wonderful home and raised three beautiful daughters. Blenis and Bonnie shared a close marriage and family life until his passing in September of 1990.

Life as a single mother raising three energetic daughters kept her busy. She loved spending summers at the family cabin at Ochre Beach, where she could work on her tan and enjoy the girls playing in the water and sand. Bonnie also loved baking, especially for her grandchildren, going out to dinner with friends, and was an avid theatre fan. Later in life, her greatest joy was rescuing Boston Terrier dogs and giving them a warm, happy home.

Mom enjoyed a long and dedicated career as a Registered Nurse (R.N.). She worked at St. Boniface Hospital for 50 years in Labour and Delivery and never tired of being part of the team that welcomed new babies into the world.

Our Mom loved to talk on the phone. A quick check-in would soon turn into a marathon conversation. She was particularly famous for her long goodbyes. And although we can’t hear her voice on the other end of the line anymore, we talk to her everyday.

Kerri gave us the perfect tattoo to celebrate Mom’s memory.

At the moment we lowered Mom’s urn into the ground, a single bird began to sing -  a clear, beautiful song that everyone heard at her celebration of life.

People whispered, “That’s Bonnie.”

She wasn’t finished saying goodbye.

Thank you Kerri, for capturing that moment in our tattoos so we can treasure our mom’s memory forever.