Bonnie Shelton, aged 86, died on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at VNA Hospice Home in Vero Beach, Florida,
surrounded by the love of her family and friends. She was born on November 29, 1938 in Waterloo,
Iowa, the first child of Darrell Lee and Leona Ruth Shelton (Brown). Bonnie has resided in California,
Illinois, Indiana, Italy, Virginia and Massachusetts before retiring to Vero Beach, Florida in 2004.
Bonnie had two sons, Jeffrey David and Daniel James, with her former husband Ralph Leland
Blankenship.

She is survived by her son, Jeffrey and his life partner, Colleen Linko, three granddaughters - Sarah, Emily,
and Diana, her half-brother Patrick Shannon, and devoted loving friend, Jerry Shaw. Bonnie was
preceded in death by her son, Daniel, her parents, her brother John Shelton and half-brother Dennis
Shelton, and by her long-term friend, Michael Chinigo.
Bonnie graduated from Waterloo East High School in 1956 and began a career in journalism. Her first job
was with the Waterloo Daily Courier, and in Illinois as a reporter for the Champaign-Urbana News
Gazette, where she interviewed visiting celebrities, and personally covered the civil and racial unrest of
the late 1960's.

Bonnie attended the University of Illinois, where she earned a BS Degree in Communications in 1971,
and her Masters in Journalism in 1974. Bonnie started her second career in 1978, holding leadership
positions in nonprofit organizations until her retirement in 2004. She became the Executive Director of
the Indiana University Graduate School of Business, Program Director for the National Federation of
Business and Professional Women, the Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Women's
Federation, and the Director of the National Association of Rehabilitation Professionals. Her continuing
education included earning a Certificate in Administration and Management from Harvard University in
1989, and she earned the title of Certified Association Executive (CAE) in 1993.

Bonnie had a life-long love for singing. She enjoyed singing in the Treasure Coast Chorale, and cherished
her role as a soloist in several productions. She was a supporter of the Vero Beach Museum of Art, the
Space Coast Symphony, Riverside Theater, and the Atlantic Orchestra Chamber Music series.
Bonnie loved to travel, and had adventures in countries throughout Europe, Egypt, the Caribbean and
throughout the United States. A particularly adventurous feat was a mule ride to the bottom of the
Grand Canyon at age 77.

A young Bonnie became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church after meeting Waitstill Sharp
when he was a minister in Davenport, Iowa. Since then, she has always been an active contributor of her
time and energy. She applied herself as a member of the choir, as a frequent committee member, and
Editor of the Fellowship newsletter.

Bonnie was full of spunk even at the last hours of her life, when she sang, "Blue Skies" to those who
were visiting her.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 12th at 11 AM at the Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship, 1590 27th Avenue, Vero Beach. Memorial contributions may be made to the Endowment
Fund of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach.

Please enjoy reading the text of the Eulogy for Bonnie, as written by her son, Jeff Blankenship.  After which you can use the link to view a recording of her service on YouTube Celebration of Life for Bonnie Shelton

Good morning.  My name is Jeff Blankenship.  I am Bonnie's surviving son.  I thank you all for gathering here with me to celebrate the life of my mother, and to inter her remains in this hallowed place.

Mom led a long and eventful life.  As she approached milestone birthdays in the past few decades, she created the story boards you see in the lobby.  I hope you will view them.

At Bonnie's core was an appetite for learning and adventure.

When I was about ten years old, Bonnie took my brother and me to the cyclotron at Indiana University, and a professor gave us a private tour.  I was old enough to catch on to his explanation of how it worked.  That was the first time I had heard of plasma.  How did she even know this existed?  Looking back, I realize that her curiosity and intellect made her a good journalist – by asking the right questions, and comprehending the answers, she could compose an article on seemingly any topic.  Working in University towns, she was at the intersection of our culture and our future.  And thanks to her, so were my brother and me.

In the 2000's, I was an amateur racer.  I competed in something called SCCA Solo.  The object is to drive a course that is defined by orange traffic cones.  A timing system records your lap to 1/1000th of a second.  You make several runs, and the best time, wins.  I brought mom to an event and took her through my race prep, walking the course and describing my plan.  After the competition was finished, the club has "Fun Runs".  As the name implies, these could be the highlight of your day, where you might try to beat your personal best, or ride as a passenger in someone else's car, or even get behind the wheel of a friend's car.  So of course, I asked if she could drive a manual transmission, and she said yes, so on goes the helmet!  Now listen, I just wanted her to participate, because the hard work of racing is all for just a few minutes of adrenaline behind the wheel.  So, I expected her to make mistakes like a total novice.  To my surprise, despite not having driven a manual for what honestly must have been decades, she never stalled, she stayed on course, hit no cones, and improved her time on every run.  And she had fun.

Bonnie was such an expressive person, and of course she was, that is the super power of a singer.  I want to tell you of an incident I'll never forget.  For my fifty-fifth birthday, Bonnie surprised me with tickets for a balloon ride.  The pilot was such a professional.  He dressed in a vintage costume from the dawn of flight, and he even wore eyeliner.  He delivered the preflight briefing as an actor would, with a history lesson and whatnot, and just one rule:  No Screaming.  He says even if the basket tips on its side, we are safe, and to not distract him during this critical phase of flight.  I think you can see where this is going.  The flight was beautiful, what I remember is how the silence of our craft allowed us to clearly hear things below us.  But for some of the flight there was a silence like nothing you hear on the ground.  As we descended for the landing, it got quiet again as everyone watched the approaching desert, and our pilot did his flying.  When the basket hit the ground, firmly, but not violently, Bonnie let out a yelp.  The pilot glanced at her, not breaking character one bit, and in an instant, his expression said, "You remember what I said about no screaming?" and the expression on Bonnie's face said "Yes, I do".  It was precious, we were "all good" in a split second, and laughing.  Bonnie did not hold back.  If you wanted her opinion, she would try to offer a useful and genuine one, not a guarded one.

I will miss her greatly, but my memories of her bring me more joy than sadness.  I am happy knowing that the people in this room have their own joyful memories, and we will all hold onto a little bit of Bonnie in our hearts.