Bonnie Glee Stryker
August 1, 1942 – February 13, 2025
Heartbeat of Our Lives
Bonnie Glee Stryker was born on August 1, 1942, in Deerfield, Illinois, to parents Howard and Lucille and sister Nancy. She moved to Nevada in 1965 and loved the Wild West with its mountains, wide spaces, and glorious skies, a place where she could ride her horse, Lucky Bough, and have a large garden.
As a mother of eight, she nurtured education, taking her children to the library, expecting good grades, and completing homework. She encouraged adventure and independence. Her children built forts and rafts, fished, camped, cooked, played baseball and kickball, and rode bikes around the long block.
Bonnie was also adventurous herself. She worked for the forest service fighting fires and planting trees, played the violin in country music shows, hiked alone in the mountains, and looked for rocks in the desert. She remarkably opened her last restaurant at the age of 80. Her education and hobbies were self-taught: knitting, gardening, baking, interior decorating, canning foods, and sewing. She had a God-given talent to play the violin by ear, paint, and write poetry, and a keen sense of creativity and an eye for anything artistic.
Joe France was both Bonnie’s life partner and business partner for 30 years. Joe considered her a true pioneer. Together, they rebuilt covered bridges, camping out the entire time. They rebuilt and painted 10 houses in Schurz while living in a cabin on Walker Lake. Bonnie and Joe later opened and operated seven restaurants in Dayton, Carson City, Virginia City, Mound House, Lake Almanor, and Fallon. They worked hard to make a living and retired to be close to family in Fallon.
Jesus was everything to Bonnie. Her favorite book was The Bible, with its words of wisdom, promises, and the life of Jesus. Bonnie attended Fallon Christian Fellowship.
Bonnie was known for her kindness to others, giving support, and being helpful. Cooking was one of her many talents; she always blessed others with her homemade soup and cookies. She was also known for sending encouraging and thoughtful, beautiful hand-written cards.
Bonnie was a natural beauty, enhanced by her flare and style. Even at 82, she was radiant, classy, and energetic. She was incredibly active for her age.
Bonnie is survived by seven children: Charles Alan Davis, Marie Ann Nygren, Robert Raymond Davis, Johnathon Lee Davis, Clinton James Niemi, Rebecca Lou Niemi, and Lincoln Lyle Glimpse, as well as 18 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren with one more on the way, her husband Joe France and Tommy and Jason his sons, and her faithful dog Lily.
Her family will miss the beauty she brought into the lives of others and the love so freely given. She will be remembered at every family event, in every sunset that spreads across the sky, flowers in the spring, the first snow on the mountains, but mostly in the faces of her children and grandchildren. We know she is with her parents, grandparents, son Michael Scott Davis, and grandson Austin Niemi in the presence of the Lord. Jesus has welcomed her into heaven - into eternity. Until then, in the sweet by and by, we shall meet again on that beautiful shore.
We will be remembering Bonnie on March 1, 2025, at 12 p.m. at New Beginnings Church, 1191 E. Stillwater Ave. Fallon, NV 89407.
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