Bonnie Robinson

A celebration of life for Bonnie Rose Robinson, 25, of Lawrence, will be held at 1 p.m. on the Solstice, December 22nd, at Unity Church of Lawrence, 900 Madeline Lane. Canned food donations will be gathered there in her honor to be delivered to the local pantry. Bonnie passed from this life on November 26, 2011 in Bryan, Texas, the tragic result of an accidental aspiration into her lungs.
Bonnie led a simple, austere life, rich in spirituality and relationships. Although she had a gifted and brilliant mind, memorizing pi out past 100 digits, grasping fundamentals of physics with ease, accomplished in chess and fluent in Spanish, Bonnie chose a life path independent from traditional academics. By 15, Bonnie had read The Autobiography of a Yogi and had visited Amma the Hugging Saint on one of her American tours. Bonnie’s spiritual beliefs held that all paths lead to God and when asked to put a label on her religion, she always said “Love.”
Working odd jobs, Bonnie was able to save enough money for three trips to India to visit Amma in her main ashram in Amritapuri. On one of these visits, Amma gave her the name “Sucheta,” which means “with a beautiful mind.” Bonnie seriously contemplated becoming a renunciate there, a life free of the material world and devoted solely to God, but was instructed to come back to America and gather more life experiences before making such a major decision. Bonnie alternatively dreamed of living simply off the land and voraciously read about small scale architecture and sustainable living.
Complimenting her deeply philosophical side, Bonnie was also known for her hearty laugh and Mona Lisa-esque smile. She loved singing, reading fairy tales, playing Scrabble, cooking delicious vegetarian meals, bicycling and walking in the woods.
In a quarter of a century, Bonnie’s gentle spirit touched many lives. Her staunch views on recycling converted many people to become more aware of preserving their environment. Her ultimate recycled gift gave life to three individuals through her organ donations and countless others through tissue donation.
A vegetarian at age 8, (Bonnie’s mom distinctly remembers this happening after she read Charlotte’s Web aloud to the girls for their bedtime story) Bonnie’s family suggests that friends and loved ones “go meatless” on her birthday, October 22nd, as an honorarium. Donations are welcomed in care of Rita Beyer, to help with Bonnie’s expenses.
Bonnie has left behind many friends and loved ones, including her mother Rita Beyer, father Stephen Robinson, sisters Marita, Hannah, Sarah and Lily Robinson and many aunts, uncles and cousins. She will also be missed by Ozzie the dog and Ophie the cat. She was preceded in death by both sets of grandparents, John and Bonnie Beyer and Max and Margie Robinson.

This information was provided to the Journal-World as a paid tribute.

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