Bonnie Mathieu
1938 – 2017
WATERVILLE — Bonnie Mathieu of Oakland died peacefully Saturday, Sept. 2, in Waterville at the age of 79. When she took her last breath, she was being held lovingly by her husband of 59 years, Armand Mathieu, and her daughters — Julie Mathieu and Linda Nelson, and their husbands, Wayne Allen and Greg Nelson, respectively. Stubborn until the end, she held onto life until her son, Michael Mathieu, and wife Beth Erlander were able to visit from Colorado. Michael lives with quadriplegia, and it was the first time he had been on an airplane since his injury five years ago.
Bonnie was born in Edison (formerly Raritan Township), New Jersey, May 16, 1938, to Adam and Elizabeth Beyer. She attended Perth Amboy High School in Perth Amboy, N.J. Soon after high school, she was introduced to Armand; they quickly fell in love and were married July 12, 1958.
She leaped into motherhood, and by 1964, she had three beautiful children — Julie, Linda and Michael. Much of her energy and passion went into being an excellent wife, mother, homemaker and also a caretaker for her mother Elizabeth. She had a special knack for making birthday parties fun with special cakes and games, making awesome outfits for Halloween and other occasions, preparing fabulous food around the holidays and other gatherings, and finding four leaf clovers.
She was a rock in the family. She was always there. She had a big heart. She knew how to listen. She took care of bumps, bruises and cuts, fixed clothing and disseminated special clippings from the newspapers and news of all the extended family. For 10 years she satisfied some of her love of plants by working seasonally at Longfellow’s Greenhouses in Manchester. Later, she worked part-time for Armand’s business — Maine Business Solutions in Oakland. She was a long-time, active member of the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Waterville.
Some of her special interests included, cooking, reading, sewing, gardening, painting, making pesto, birds, music, crossword puzzles and crafts. She had a great sense of humor and was quiet, gentle and compassionate; she will be dearly missed by her family. Bonnie was courageous to the highest order, surviving five bouts of cancer over the last 25 years.
As mentioned, she is survived by her husband and children as well as her one grandchild, Ryan Copeland, and his partner Ella; her brother, Allan Beyer, wife Barbara and their three children, Kathy DelGiorno, Ken Beyer and Chris Beyer; and her niece, Rose Lovecchio, and a nephew, Bruce Mast.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Michael S. Mathieu Special Needs Trust, c/o Beth Erlander, 905 Rosewood Ave., Boulder, CO 80304, which directly supports Bonnie’s son Michael, who relies on the generosity of friends and family to support himself as a quadriplegic recovering from a spinal cord injury five years ago.
Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan 04976.
