Mary Victoria Bonneville

Obituary Mary Victoria Bonneville Mary Victoria Bonneville died April 5, 2015 at Franke Tobey Jones Retirement Center in Tacoma at the age of 90. She was born April 7, 1924 in Tacoma, WA, the daughter of Pauline and Michael Marush. She attended St. Patrick's Elementary and Aquinas Academy. Mary graduated with honors from the University of Southern California and attended the University of Washington Law School, where she met her husband, L. R. Bonneville, Jr., who later became a Tacoma attorney. They made a great team, with her husband placing first in their law school class and Mary placing second. They married shortly after their law school graduation. Mary never practiced law, preferring to stay at home to raise their two daughters through their formative years. She received her master's degree in early childhood education at the University of Puget Sound and taught in the Tacoma Public School system for several years. She was a woman of many talents, and at just five feet tall, she was a tiny powerhouse- energetic, lively, with a wonderful sense of humor. An accomplished violinist, pianist and tapestry hand weaver, her large-scale tapestry commissions have been shown in galleries and museums around the world and are in many private and public collections. Armed with her undergraduate degree in business management from USC, she opened Bonneville's of Gig Harbor, a women's apparel store and art gallery with her youngest daughter, Victoria. Together, they opened more stores throughout the Puget Sound area and operated them for 31 years before retiring in 2000. She loved to sail and snow ski and had a deep love for the waters around Puget Sound where she and her family sailed out of the Tacoma Yacht Club. She played golf and tennis at the Tacoma Golf and Country Club. Mary had a passion for art in all of its forms. In her retirement years she took up acrylics and watercolor painting, and her homes in Gig Harbor and on the Oregon Coast gave her inspiration for many of her paintings. Her homes were filled with art, classical and jazz music and literature. She had a great love of adventure and of experiencing life to its fullest, traits that she passed along to her daughters. She taught them that it is easy to follow the crowd, but that life is far more intriguing when you find your own path. She is predeceased by her husband, Lawrence Bonneville, Jr, of Tacoma; her daughter, Laura Bonneville, of Chevy Chase, MD; her parents, Pauline and Michael Marush of Tacoma; her brothers, Mark Marush and Arthur Marush of Tacoma; her sisters, Pauline Markham of Olympia and Louise Cromwell of Seattle. She is survived by her daughter, Victoria Bonneville, of Gig Harbor, WA and Seaside, OR; her sister, Alma Martin of Tacoma and several nieces and nephews. Mary will be greatly missed by those who knew her and loved her. Please leave online condolences at www.gaffneycares.com. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, 253-572-6003 and interment at Calvary Cemetery in Tacoma.