Bonnie Jo Cocchiaraley's Obituary
Bonnie Jo Cocchiarely passed away peacefully of natural causes on the morning of August 3, 2024. She was 100 years old.
Born to John and Dessie Suchy in Lexington, Oklahoma on October 29, 1923, she was raised on a small but prolific farm with her two brothers Willie Mitchell and Warren George. She earned a scholarship to attend Southern Methodist University where she studied fashion design and history, graduating with honors in 1946. Through the following decade she worked as a designer and model, until her marriage to Patrick T. Cocchiaraley when she was 32. They settled in Cherry Hill, NJ and had two daughters, Elena and Patricia.
Always active in her community, in 1974 Bonnie played a pivotal role in the creation of the Barclay Farmstead Museum, where she served as director and curator for 17 years. She was an avid historian, preserving what is now known as Bonnie’s Bridge in Cherry Hill, and was a talented craftsperson, master quiltmaker, and seamstress. In 1995, she retired to Longboat Key, Florida, a place she often referred to as “her paradise”.
Bonnie is survived by daughter Elena Pendino and her fiance Joe Cavilla, as well as grandchildren Cassandra and Bradford Pendino. She was fierce, ambitious, caring, and clever. She served as an inspiration to many in her life and will be sorely missed by all.
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