Dear Family,
By way of introduction, my husband Bart is the son of Les Bona, who was hired by Charlie not long after Les returned from serving in World War II. Les worked at West Coast his entire career for your dad/grandfather and loved every minute of it. The first time I met Otis was when Bart and I got married in 1967. We had a reception at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, and Otis and Charlie were there, with Bob and William. Otis was larger than life and I remember we chatted at length about gardening, ballet and what I might like to get involved with here in Tacoma. She was one of those rare people who, when she was speaking with you, made you feel that you were the only person in the room. For a young newlywed transplant from Los Angeles, she made me feel very special and I never forgot that kindness.
When Bart opened the newspaper today and saw the news of Otis' passing, we were saddened and yet, also pleased to read of a life so well lived. She touched so many people during her 97 years - and that is cause for rejoicing. Our thoughts are with you and we wish you nothing but wonderful memories of a lovely lady.
Suzanne and Bart Bona##imported-begin##Bart and Suzanne Bona##imported-end##