Thomas "Tom" Bonokoski
Marriages
Gloria Drake
Sally Wade - 1958
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5B - April 8, 2011
Tom Bonokoski, 83, Grand
Junction, died April 6, 2011, at
Hospice Care Center.
Visitation will be from 5 to
7 p.m., with a rosary at 7 p.m.
Monday at Callahan-Edfast
Mortuary.
Services will be at 10 a.m.
Tuesday at the mortuary. Interment
will follow at Calvary
Cemetery on Orchard Mesa.
Survivors include his wife,
Gloria Ann; three sons, Thomas
Bonokoski of Arlington, Texas,
Keith Drake of Anaheim, Calif.,
and Kyle Drake of Mount Kisco,
N.Y.; three daughters, Linda
Crater of Placentia, Calif.,
Karen Holston of Jackson, Ga.,
and Karla Jones of Yucca Valley,
Calif.; one brother, John of Estevan,
Saskatchewan, Canada;
one sister; Sister Eva Bonokoski
of St. John, New Brunswick,
Canada; 14 grandchildren; and
eight great-grandchildren.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3C - April 10, 2011
The Lord took Thomas Bonokoski
Home on April 6, 2011.
Tom was born January 27, 1928
to Eva and Thomas Bonokoski on
a farm in Torquay, Saskatchewan,
Canada, the youngest of 14 children.
He rode his horse to Tenold
School, a one-room school house,
and attended St. Cunigundis
Catholic Church in Marienthal
(Mary's Valley). After grade 11, Tom attended Assumption University
of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, graduating in 1956 with a Bachelor
of Arts and later, a degree in Philosophy. After briefly working
for a Catholic institution in Detroit, MI, he received his US citizenship
and, in his new 1957 car, moved to Los Angeles, CA.
Tom's entire career was spent in the Human Resources field and
labor relations management for Container Corporation, the City of
Huntington Beach, TRW in the aerospace field, and Martin Marietta
in Denver, before retiring from Rockwell International in 1991.
Tom first married Sally Wade in 1958. This union produced three
children, Linda Crater of Placentia, CA; Thomas (Faith) Bonokoski
of Arlington, TX and Karen (Lee) Holston of Jackson, GA. In 1977,
Tom met and later married Gloria Drake; they were married 29
years. This union added Gloria's three children, Keith Drake of
Anaheim, CA; Karla (James) Jones of Yucca Valley, CA and Kyle
(Sharon) Drake of Mt. Kisco, NY, making a "Brady Bunch", which
went on to include 14 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Tom was a devout traditional Catholic, who often led the Rosary at
his chapel, St. John Marie Vienney in Clifton and St. Joseph Parish
in Olathe. He loved gardening and working in the yard. Tom and
Gloria enjoyed camping with their Good Sam group, Western Colorado
Travelers, and often, by themselves. They enjoyed cruises and
traveled to many areas of the world.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents and 11 brothers and sisters.
Survivors include his wife, Gloria; a sister, Sister Eva Bonokoski,
96, of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception, St.
John, New Brunswick, Canada; one brother, John (Lucille) Bonokoski,
85, of Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada; sisters-in-law,
Marieanna Bonokoski of Estevan, Beverly Wade of Santa Monica,
CA and Martha (Wally) Sautter of Florence, OR, and many nieces
and nephews.
A visitation will be held Monday, April 11 from 5 - 7:00 p.m. at
Callahan-Edfast Mortuary followed by a Rosary recited by Fr. Luis
Jurado. A brief ceremony will be Tuesday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. at
Callahan-Edfast Mortuary, officiated by Pastor Roger Ferguson of
Clifton Christian Church, followed by a Latin Funeral Mass at
10:15am, also at the mortuary. Interment will be in Orchard Mesa
Cemetery after the Mass.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice
& Palliative Care of Western Colorado, 3090B N. 12th St.,
Grand Junction, CO 81506 or to any charity of your choice.
