Susan Bonak Obituary, Death – Susan W. (Mayo) Bonak, 83, of Webster, MA, previously of Stockbridge, MA, died on April 3rd. Sue was born July 30, 1939 in Upper Darby, PA. John and Mary (Wengenroth) Mayo were her parents. She graduated from Stockbridge Plain School and Williams High School in 1958 after moving to Massachusetts in 1949. She graduated from Henry W. Bishop III Memorial School of Nursing in Pittsfield in 1961.
She received her bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Saint Joseph’s College in North Windham, ME, when her children were adolescents. Long-term care administrator license 1986. She nursed at Pittsfield General Hospital, Fairview Hospital, and Berkshire Medical Center. She worked for Great Barrington doctor Richard Clark. She was a federal Professional Standards reviewer.
In 1992, she retired as Dalton Nursing Home administrator. Sue was a Southern Berkshire Volunteer Ambulance Squad EMT. She joined the Orthopedic Nurses Association, Massachusetts Nurses Association, and Emergency Room Nurses Association. She was a longtime Henry W. Bishop III Memorial School of Nursing Alumnae Association member and helped arrange reunions.
She was a longtime member of Stockbridge’s Historic Preservation Commission and loved the town’s history and architecture. Sue married Chester Z. Bonak in 1962 at All Saints Church in Housatonic. His 2018 death ended 55 years of marriage.
Sue enjoyed flower gardening, crafts, her Lhasa Apso, and annual trips to Anna Maria Island, FL. She read constantly. She cooked and hosted well. She was her children’s biggest fan and mother. She adored peppermint patties and flowers. Her daughter Susan M. Rabbitt and husband Christopher of Fiskdale, MA survive her. Chandler’s Michael S. Bonak, her son. Fiskdale, MA, grandson Simon Rabbitt.
Chester died in 2018 and her brother William S. Mayo in 2015. Cousins, nieces, nephews, and loyal friends survive her. At 11am on April 11, the family will welcome guests at Birches Roy Funeral Home 33 South Street in Great Barrington. Rev. William Murphy will lead a brief lunchtime service. Saint Bridget’s Cemetery in Housatonic, MA will bury her and her husband.