Bonnie Lee Bell Griffin, age 93, a 65-year resident of Oak Ridge, passed away of natural causes, Friday, January 30. She had been living with her youngest son, Ed Griffin and his wife Roberta Crowe in Huntsville, Alabama, for the past four years until recent medical issues required a move to Bailey Manor in Fayetteville, Tennessee.
Bonnie was born December 18, 1921, in Sandoval, Illinois, to John Bell of Haverigg, England, and Rilla Mae McVeigh of Clay County, Illinois. She was the youngest of five children; her brother John Harold, and sisters Alice Margret, Gertrude Mae, and Mary Oleta all preceded her in death.
Bonnie left her parents home in Flora, Illinois, to attend McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, in 1941, where she earned a teaching certificate and met her future husband, Paul M. Griffin. She had a diversity of interests in college including the Literary Society, the Theater Group, The Women’s Athletic Group, and the Women’s Basketball team. In her sophomore year, Bonnie was elected the football homecoming queen. [Read more…]