Editor’s Note- Bonni Stolsmark was the friendliest lunch lady you ever met. Besides her special touch in the Langford Area lunchroom, she impacted the lives of those around her in many other ways as well. She was a special person, and upon her recent passing, she will be sorely missed by the Langford Area community and far beyond. Consequently, some of Bonni’s friends shared some memories about her with the Journal.
Bonni’s actual birthday was April 20, but according to her, any day and every day was her birthday!! She’d walk into the school, or at the Front Porch, and on any given day, she would say, “Today’s my birthday!” Actually, when it was her real birthday and she would say, “Today’s my birthday”… no one believed her! But she lived as if it was always her birthday.
Every day, she showed up in the Langford Area lunchroom with a smile. Every day she chose JOY. From her smile, to her “shenanigans,” she made every day better. She loved her job, her colleagues, and the students—and they loved her back. She would slip “extra chicken nuggets ” and “seconds” to extra hungry students. Because of her remark to some board members that kids are more hungry on Monday morning than other days of the week, Bonni is the reason that there is a Langford Area Backpack Program in the Langford school.
Bonni loved holiday decorations, and it made the school lunchroom a little more fun with a festive tablecloth. What some people might consider excessive or gaudy, Bonni found normal and ordinary. If it had a little “bling, or if it lit up, shined, or had feathers, it was “right!”
She wore lots of crazy t-shirts that said a lot of funny things, and if you commented on them, she laughed and smiled. Some of her funny t-shirts will be “retired” and put in a shadow box and displayed in the kitchen as a precious remembrance of her. Her actions loudly declared that she was inviting you into her life, and she cared about you. She often gave big welcoming hugs when she saw you. Whether she knew you for five minutes or five years, you were a friend.
Bonni and her sisters loved to sing karaoke. Some of their favorite songs were “Harper Valley PTA” and “Let Me Be There,” and when they sang a patriotic song like “God Bless America,” Bonni would make sure that everyone was standing and their hat/cap was removed.
Bonni loved God, Country, Friends, and Family…And Yes! Every day was her birthday—a gift for sure--but it is also a great reminder that every day is worth celebrating. Live Like Bonni…”Laugh, Love Big, and Bring Joy!”
