Bonnie Marie Ferber was born in Paullina, Iowa, in 1933. She was the daughter of Dorthy and Carl Thomas and had four siblings, Sandy, Lowell, Jerry, and Donna, whom she loved and adored. She attended Paullina High School and later Morningside College, where she earned an elementary teaching credential.  

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Bonnie created her own career path by undertaking a multitude of ventures. She worked as an elementary school teacher, a manager with Packard Bell Industries, and even a fashion model who received a style and fashion award from someone we might remember named Ronald Reagan, who was at that time the president of the Screen Actors Guild. 

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She married Lawrence Wolfgang Ferber, a captain of industry for Litton Industries, and the couple moved to Freiburg, Germany, a major wine region in the state of Baden-Baden, situated in the Black Forest on the trinational border of France and Switzerland. There, they started a family, welcoming their beautiful daughter Deborah. Bonnie traveled the world and explored new cultures, absorbing the riches of art and fine cuisine while making friends from every walk of life. 

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She and her family moved to Newport Beach, California, to experience the beautiful beaches, large recreational harbor, and abundant cultural activities. They opened an equestrian facility in the Back Bay where her family and other families could show and board horses.  

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Bonnie had an entrepreneurial spirit, which led her to open a fine paper and writing instrument stationary store. She ran the store for over a decade with her daughter Deborah by her side. The experience inspired Deborah to dedicate her own life to entrepreneurship, soon earning a doctorate and teaching business administration at the university level in the subsequent years.  

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Bonnie’s most important work outside of being a mother, however, lay in her dedication to charity work with National Charity League, John Tracy Center, and Ticktocker Thrift Stores.  She believed in giving back to her community, further impacting Deborah’s own choices in life. As a mother, Bonnie exemplified the perfect balance of independence and selflessness, existing as a beacon of light for her daughter to follow.  

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Another example of dedication and self-sacrifice came when Bonnie moved her parents to California and purchased them a house, giving them the opportunity to enjoy their final years of retirement surrounded by family and beautiful weather.  

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Bonnie practiced her Christian values not only among her family in Newport and in the Monarch Beach community but in the larger surrounding population. In the 1970s, she fought for Jewish families in Orange County to be given equal opportunities for joining clubs and organizations without discrimination. In the 1980s, she fought again to unite Persian families who had been separated from their families in the United States, following the overthrow of the Shaw. Her efforts were successful, as many families were reunited and live peacefully as patriotic U.S. citizens today.  

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Because of her efforts and compassionate heart, Bonnie was respected and admired by her friends and loved by her family. She will be remembered for her beautiful smile, her knack for fashion, her years of charitable contributions, and the love she showed to all those who knew her. She will be deeply missed.