Obituary for Bonnie Jean Wilkens (Brooks)
Bonnie J. Wilkens, 76, of Marcus passed on December 26, 2020 at the Heartland Care Center in Marcus, Iowa with her family at her side. A Celebration of Life Service will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 19, 2021, at Trinity Lutheran Church, rural Marcus, Iowa. Rev. David Doellinger and Rev. Don Meyer will officiate. Burial will follow at Marcus Amherst Cemetery. Visitation with the family present will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday at the church.
Bonnie Jean Wilkens was born on February 3, 1944 in Pocatello, Idaho to Harold and Rosalia (Helmbrecht) Brooks, and was the oldest of 3 siblings.
As a child, Bonnie attended schools in Round Prairie, Minnesota and in Bancroft, South Dakota before her family settled in Grand Meadow, Iowa in 1956, where her father was a school custodian and her mother a school cook. Bonnie was part of the first graduating class from the new Marcus High School in 1962. As a young woman, Bonnie worked at Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars, Iowa as a nursing assistant.
Bonnie married Fred H. Wilkens on July 19, 1964 at Peace Lutheran Church in Marcus. Bonnie was also baptized and confirmed into her faith at Peace Lutheran on December 6, 1964. Bonnie and Fred made their home in Marcus where the couple raised two children, Paul and Diane.
Bonnie very much enjoyed being a homemaker. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, crafting, and cooking. Family favorites include her goulash, Thanksgiving stuffing, and homemade banana bread. (Her banana bread recipe is in the Marcus Centennial Cookbook and it is amazing.)
After her husband retired, the couple enjoyed traveling with the travel group “Alice and Jack”. They enjoyed car trips throughout Iowa and nightly drives around Marcus were a part of the couple’s routine. Bonnie and Fred entered the Heartland Care Center together in October of 2016.
Bonnie loved and adored her grandchildren and was thrilled to have them visit. Sleepovers at Grandma’s house were a big deal.
Bonnie is survived by a son Paul (Mary Ellen) Wilkens of Marcus, a daughter Diane (James) Sumner of Watertown, South Dakota, three grandchildren, Dylan Sumner, Sarah Sumner, and Christina Wilkens, as well as various nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Fred on December 15th, 2020, her sister Mary J. Deters, and her brother Michael A. Brooks Sr.
Memorials may be directed to The Marcus Fire Department or Heartland Care Center, Marcus, Iowa.
Bonnie Jean Wilkens was born on February 3, 1944 in Pocatello, Idaho to Harold and Rosalia (Helmbrecht) Brooks, and was the oldest of 3 siblings.
As a child, Bonnie attended schools in Round Prairie, Minnesota and in Bancroft, South Dakota before her family settled in Grand Meadow, Iowa in 1956, where her father was a school custodian and her mother a school cook. Bonnie was part of the first graduating class from the new Marcus High School in 1962. As a young woman, Bonnie worked at Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars, Iowa as a nursing assistant.
Bonnie married Fred H. Wilkens on July 19, 1964 at Peace Lutheran Church in Marcus. Bonnie was also baptized and confirmed into her faith at Peace Lutheran on December 6, 1964. Bonnie and Fred made their home in Marcus where the couple raised two children, Paul and Diane.
Bonnie very much enjoyed being a homemaker. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, crafting, and cooking. Family favorites include her goulash, Thanksgiving stuffing, and homemade banana bread. (Her banana bread recipe is in the Marcus Centennial Cookbook and it is amazing.)
After her husband retired, the couple enjoyed traveling with the travel group “Alice and Jack”. They enjoyed car trips throughout Iowa and nightly drives around Marcus were a part of the couple’s routine. Bonnie and Fred entered the Heartland Care Center together in October of 2016.
Bonnie loved and adored her grandchildren and was thrilled to have them visit. Sleepovers at Grandma’s house were a big deal.
Bonnie is survived by a son Paul (Mary Ellen) Wilkens of Marcus, a daughter Diane (James) Sumner of Watertown, South Dakota, three grandchildren, Dylan Sumner, Sarah Sumner, and Christina Wilkens, as well as various nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Fred on December 15th, 2020, her sister Mary J. Deters, and her brother Michael A. Brooks Sr.
Memorials may be directed to The Marcus Fire Department or Heartland Care Center, Marcus, Iowa.