Bonnie Faye (Scofield) Willard passed away March 13, 2023 at her home in Valley Springs SD after a long illness at the age of 79.  Private funeral services will be held for her immediate family at the Methodist Church in Flandreau SD where she was baptized and married.
Bonnie was born April 3, 1943 to Wilbur and Elvera (Lee) Scofield at the Flandreau Moody Co Hospital in Flandreau SD.  She was the 2nd of 7 children raised on their farm in Union Twp, Moody Co.  She attended Fletcher Country school before attending high school in Flandreau SD where she met the love of her life, her soulmate, William Willard, her freshman year.  Their first date was Feb 14, 1958 and with that, their future was written.
Bonnie enrolled and graduated from Nettleton Commercial College in Sioux Falls, SD while Bill volunteered for the Army in 1961.  Along with going to school and working Bonnie managed to write and mail a letter to Bill every single day of the 2 years he was enlisted.  She would later declare she did so to keep his eyes off the French girls in Paris, France where he was stationed but really, theirs was quite simply, the love of a lifetime.
Bonnie married Bill Dec 19, 1964 and they bought their first home together in Sioux Falls SD.  She worked various secretarial jobs and did typing for college students to earn money before their children were born.
In 1980 Bill and Bonnie bought their forever country home in Valley Springs SD where they raised their family including 3 children.  Bonnie worked hard planting a huge garden every year, taking care of various animals, the home and raising her children.  She enjoyed genealogy, was an avid researcher and diligently recorded the details of both her family and Bill’s back, far and wide.  She was a published author of several books on many of their family lines.  She enjoyed bowling, her children and most especially her grandchildren.  Her family was her greatest joy.
Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents & a daughter Shelly Lynn.
Grateful for having shared her life and to have had such a wonderful wife, mother & grandmother are her husband Bill Willard, Debra (Willard)  & Ivan Copelan, their children Tristan and Kaden, Steven & Debbie (Blake) Willard, their children Eric & Kaitlyn (Drew) Willard, Kaylee and Sam, Michael & Shannon (Dockstader) Willard and their children Kaiah, Corrine, Riley and Rayna.