Bonnie Neff

Bonnie M. Neff, 97, of Arthur, formerly of Cerro Gordo, passed away in the early morning hours of April 8, 2015. Memorial services will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 11, 2015 at Cerro Gordo United Methodist Church with a memorial visitation one hour prior to service time at the church. Burial will be in Cerro Gordo Cemetery. Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home, Cerro Gordo, IL is handling the arrangements. Memorials may be made to Hope Welty Library, 100 S. Madison St., Cerro Gordo, IL 61818. Bonnie was born August 6, 1917 to Wickliffe Wayne Warfield and Edna Larrick Warfield. She was born near Circle, Montana where her parents had homesteaded. She, her parents, and her younger sister Jeannette lived there until 1931 when her father died, and then her mother brought the daughters back to her home town of Cerro Gordo. She graduated from Cerro Gordo High School in 1935. Bonnie married Ralph Grove Neff on May 29, 1936 and the two of them purchased the farm closest to Cerro Gordo on the east in 1937, and settled in to raise grain, livestock, and children. Bonnie participated in her childrens' activities and those of her church, Cerro Gordo United Methodist. When Bonnie was 54, mindful that she still had a child to put through college, she started LPN training. Before she finished training, Ralph was killed in an accident in January, 1972. Bonnie resolutely kept on with her training. Upon graduation she worked in several nursing homes, mostly Piatt County Nursing Home in Monticello. She retired in 1982. After her retirement, Bonnie served on the Board of Trustees of Hope Welty Library in Cerro Gordo for over 20 years. She wrote the successful grant applications for the present library and its addition, something most organizations have to hire someone to do. In the years of her retirement, she enjoyed being a "gentlewoman farmer", and attended farming seminars and trips. She also made several other trips, including two abroad. But probably her favorite trips were those she took with her neighbor, best friend, and partner-in-crime Sheila Coffman (now deceased), when they just took off for a few days down the back roads to see where they went. She lived a long life, not always easy, but found enjoyment and peace at the end. Bonnie leaves many descendants, who were very important to her. She leaves three children: Mary Anne (Ron) Daily of Arthur, Elizabeth (Jerry) VanDyke, of Decatur, and Jim (Cindy) Neff of Decatur. She leaves five grandchildren: Brenda (Ken) Munds of Arthur, Scott (Kim) Daily of Arthur, Craig Daily of Defiance, MO, C.J. (Alexis) Neff of Arlington, TN, and Doug (Jaimie) Neff of Hendersonville, TN. Her great grandchildren: Kyle (Caitlin) Morris of Homer, Brittany (Jonathan) Yoder of Arthur, Jordan (Morgan) Downs of Savoy, Alec Daily of Kihei, Hawaii, Jesse Daily of Arthur, Drew Neff of Arlington, TN, and Liam Neff of Henderson, TN. She had two great-great grandchildren: Jaden and Natalie Yoder. She is also survived by her sister, Jeannette Wilcox of Bloomington. She was preceded in death by her husband, and one granddaughter, Rhonda Anne Morris. "
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