Bonnie Rae Temperley (Harder) was born July 15th, 1948, in Maquoketa, Iowa and entered eternity in the arms of Jesus her Savior, surrounded by loved ones on May 13th, 2024, at the age of 75. A celebration of life memorial service is to be held at Pape Funeral Home in Clinton, Iowa at Noon on Thursday May 16th; with a luncheon reception to follow at Rastrelli’s restaurant. Online condolences may be left at www.papefh.com
The youngest of Arnold and Celia Harder, she grew up on a farm just outside of Delmar, Iowa. She loved to be outside in nature, playing with her kitties, and trying to catch up with her siblings Susan and Richard. She received numerous awards for her artistic talents throughout her life.
After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Platteville in 1970, she began her K-12 art teaching career in Fennimore, Wisconsin, before moving on to Clinton, Iowa for much of her 36+ years of teaching, and then finished out her professional calling at Unity Christian in Fulton, Illinois. In 1978 she married Bob, her college sweetheart, and began a journey that would last over 46 years. They enjoyed watching their children grow up, church activities, and bowling.
She volunteered her gifts and services leading Sunday School for both adults and children, heading the arts for Vacation Bible School, participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters, and in countless hours volunteering at Bargain Bonanza. She helped raise funds for church missions by selling homemade crafts and cards. She enjoyed singing in the choir at the First United Methodist Church as a longtime member and attended River Church services in recent years. She was very active in the Clinton Art Association and the Palo Verde Artists of Sun City, Arizona where she was an instructor and exceptional artist. She and Bob spent several winters in Sun City, Arizona at their second home.
She is survived by her husband, Bob; sister, Susan (Phil) Hall of Tipton, Iowa; brother, Richard (Kathy) Harder of Largo, Florida; son, Ben (Jamie) Temperley of Geneseo, Illinois; son, Austin (Sarah) Temperley of Tampa, Florida; daughter, Paige (Jay) Baumgartner of Apple Valley, Minnesota, and 9 grandchildren. Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents, Arnold and Celia Harder.