Bonnie Larkins

Biography Bonnie Lucille Parker Larkins passed away on May 23, 2015 at the age of 85 years young. She was born on a farm in Akron, Colorado on February 10, 1930, and she died after having lived on a farm in Berthoud, Colorado for the past 34 years. In 1914, Ervin Parker and Ethel Purdy married in Iowa. They stayed in Iowa for a few years and decided that their life might be better in Colorado, so they moved to a farming community known as Akron in Eastern Colorado. That couple had a family of 2 girls and 2 boys, but before the last boy came, there was a little red-haired girl who was born. They would read books and listen to exciting shows on the radio. In the summer, they would pull on cows’ tails and get a ride, and in the wintertime, they’d slide on the snow. They would only get one Christmas gift, homemade from their dad, but they thought they were in heaven, and Bonnie believed that their gifts were more loved than all of the expensive gifts children get today! Their family was known for their generosity, their love of music and family, and their gift of story-telling, gifts which have been passed on through the generations. In 1947, Jim Larkins from Missouri and Bonnie began writing back and forth because they were both part of Gene Autry’s fan club and were in the same church. Jim wrote and said he was going to the Cheyenne Frontier Days, and he would stop by and meet her. He never made it to the rodeo; he stopped in Colorado and never got any farther. They married a year later, in 1948. A year after Bonnie and Jim were married, they had their first child - a baby boy named Robert, who passed away of heart complications four months later. A year after the death of their first child, another child was born, healthy and strong, a little girl named Marilee. And then three more boys - Ron, Roger and Randy, and three more girls – Melanie, Melodie and Michelle. And Bonnie and Jim’s faith continued, and their children grew and went to church and learned to love their family and God. Her parents passed away first, and in 2011, her oldest brother Don was laid to rest. And after 46 years of marriage, she lost her love to cancer in 1994. Today, she is survived and loved by her siblings Lena Merle Rogers and Lenn Parker, 7 children with their spouses, 43 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews who are part of this loving family. Bonnie’s celebration of life will be held at the Loveland, Colorado Community of Christ church at 503 E. 7th street on Friday, May 29, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., with her children Randy Larkins and Marilee Test officiating. Pallbearers are Russell Test, Tim Test, David Larkins, Nicholas Larkins, Stephan Comeau, Ben Clarke, and Jeremiah Anderson. She will rest in peace beside her husband and son in Lyons, Colorado. Bonnie has asked that if anyone wants to donate anything, they donate to a heart or cancer center of their choice. Words cannot express the love of her family toward the gifts she has given us. Who began our relationship with God when we were too small to speak, who sang Jesus Loves Me to us when we were too small to understand? Who was strong enough to believe in her relationships of faith and family to be sustained even during her darkest hours? And who gave us the truest understanding of everything we believe in today? Our mother, our teacher, our friend. Rest with God and find peace at last with the loved ones who have gone before. Service Information A service summary is not available