Bonnie Quinn

Bonnie Quinn died Saturday, March 9 at home, a few weeks after turning 103 and just five days after she played and won her last bridge game.

Bonnie was born in Boise, Idaho on February 17, 1921 to Thomas and Della Jennings. She attended Longfellow Elementary, Boise High School and the University of Idaho, where she was a member of Alpha Phi sorority and was tapped for both Cardinal Key and Mortar Board. It was at Idaho where she met her future husband, Clifton Quinn, on a blind date.

Bonnie supported the Boise Little Theater and appeared in early productions at the original Gowen Field location. For more than a dozen years, she wrote a Sunday “About Town” column under her byline, which ran each week in the Idaho Statesman.

Bonnie was an enthusiastic volunteer in the community, serving on many community boards including the Junior League of Boise, American Red Cross, Beaux Arts Societe, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and St. Luke’s Auxiliary. As Auxiliary president, she initiated the St. Luke’s Christmas Card sales, which was an ongoing fundraiser for many years.

At the age of 50, Bonnie began a business career. She became a prominent realtor in the residential field and was one of the founding partners of Group One, a real estate company, serving as vice president. Bonnie was a charter member of the Million Dollar Club and became one of the first lifetime members of the Top Producers Club. She received the Boise Board of Realtors first award for highest volume in residential sales.

Bonnie married Clif Quinn on Christmas Eve 1946, and they remained married until his death in 1990. They had two daughters, Kerrie Quinn Murray (David) and Stacie Quinn Neely (Daniel). In 1994, Bonnie married John Givens. They were later divorced but remained loving friends until his death.

Bonnie was a wonderful cook and loved to entertain. She thought nothing of going out to anniversary lunch on Christmas Eve, then coming home to host a late afternoon open house for dozens of friends, followed by Christmas Day brunch for family members the next day. And she did it year after year. After having a memorable multi-course Italian dinner at a restaurant one summer, she recreated the meal and hosted a series of seven-course seated dinners for guests in her home after preparing all the food herself!

Bonnie played golf her entire adult life and competed in local and statewide tournaments. During her lifetime, she had several holes-in-one.  She stopped playing in her early 90s and missed golf terribly the rest of her life.

Bonnie is survived by her daughters, Kerrie and Stacie, and grandchildren Clifton Neely (Gina Penn) and Kathryn Neely Dearing (Ryan). She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Margaret Jennings, and her husbands, Clifton Quinn and John Givens.

Please join us to toast Bonnie’s long and amazing life on Wednesday, March 20 at 3:00 pm at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho.

Any donations may be directed to the Clifton and Bonnie Quinn Permanent Memorial Fund at the Idaho Youth Ranch or to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.


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