It is so, so hard when we lose people that we love very much. And losing Bonnie was the cause for sadness without bounds. Bonnie was special, and one did not have to be a family member to see this.

We rejoyced in the fact that she was wonderfully happy sitting at the feet of Jesus and that we would meet again someday, thanks to our Savior, Jesus Christ. But this was a hard time for the Braden family.

One of the many difficult tasks was cleaning out Bonnie's closet. Yes, Karen, Sandra, Anne, and Robert took those things that they could use, but there still remained much that would soon go to Good Will.

Jay had the idea of creating Memory Bears from some of these materials. He found a lady in Montana who did such work. They communicated and the result was 15 Bonnie Bears.

Thirteen of these Bears were distributed for Christmas 2018 along with one of the following notes.

Benjamin Braden Merry Christmas 2018 and Blessings to You and Your Family This is your Bonnie Bear. You may also want to call it a Mimi Bear. Or you may name it yourself. It was made by Sherri Attard, who creates Memory Bears from her home in Montana. She made 15 of these bears, 13 of which are going this Christmas to each of Bonnie Braden's 13 grandchildren. This one is yours. Every Bear has a piece of one of Mimi's favorite black coats. This represents the common heritage among you and her other grandchildren. Every Bear also has a mink collar, again representing a common heritage but also representing Mimi's mother Claire whom we called GiGi. All Bears are made from various pieces of Mimi's favorite clothing, and no two Bonnie Bears are identical, representing the special individuality of each of her grandchildren. In your Christmas bag is also one on Mimi's scarves. You may want to wrap it around your bear. Since you knew Mimi and are old enough to remember her, I know you will cherish the memories of this very wonderful lady. Also you will remember her legacy through pictures and stories. Know that she loves you from her home in Heaven and will be with you forever. Love, PaPa B

Charlie Braden Merry Christmas 2018 and Blessings to You and Your Family This is your Bonnie Bear. You may also want to call it a Mimi Bear. Or you may name it yourself. It was made by Sherri Attard, who creates Memory Bears from her home in Montana. She made 15 of these bears, 13 of which are going this Christmas to each of Bonnie Braden's 13 grandchildren. This one is yours. Every Bear has a piece of one of Mimi's favorite black coats. This represents the common heritage among you and her other grandchildren. Every Bear also has a mink collar, again representing a common heritage but also representing Mimi's mother Claire whom we called GiGi. All Bears are made from various pieces of Mimi's favorite clothing, and no two Bonnie Bears are identical, representing the special individuality of each of her grandchildren. In your Christmas bag is also one on Mimi's scarves. You may want to wrap it around your bear. Although you were not really old enough to know Mimi personally, you will know of her legacy through pictures and stories. I know you will cherish this very wonderful lady. While you don't really remember Mimi, that's okay - she loves you from her home in Heaven and will be with you forever. Love, PaPa B

The difference in the two letters is that one is for grandchildren who would remember her and the second is for grandchildren who will not. So why 15 bears when there were only 13 grandchildren at the time the Memory Bears were created? Who would know that Bonnie (and all of us) would be blessed by two more grandchildren in January of 2022? We might wonder if Bonnie had something to do with creating the two extra bears. That would be just like her!
(Click on any picture to enlarge it.)
Daylin Alvarez		Braden Alvarez		Skyler Alvarez
Benjamin Braden		Everett Braden		Charlie Braden
Luke Braden		Alice Braden		Thatcher Braden
Savanah Roberts		Seth Roberts		Sydney Roberts
Bonnie Jane Zwerner		Ryan Kent Zwerner		Carson James Zwerner
So how might we remember Bonnie/MiMi? The answer for her, as for many people who have passed, is through pictures and stories. This BradenClan Website has attempted to capture a whole lot of information about this great lady. One way is through remembering the cruises and family vacations we took. Another way is to look at information and stories that have been espectially collected to help us all remember her.
Back to Family Stories Back to About Bonnie Back to the BradenClan Home Page