Thelma Machen

Thelma B. Machen NORFOLK - Thelma Bono Machen, formerly of Norfolk, died peacefully in her sleep June 12, 2009, in Milwaukee. She was 101. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 54 years, George; her sisters, Alice Christensen and Jenny Lund; and her brother, Albert Bono. She was the mother of Joyce Wolburg van Dyke (James) of Menomonee Falls, Wis.; grandmother of Leslie Wolburg of Birmingham, Ala., and Eric Wolburg (Lindsay) of Knoxville, Tenn.; and great-grandmother of Brendan and Charlotte Wolburg. She is further survived by sister-in-law, Mary Bono of New York City; nieces, Charlotte Wilson (John) of Banner Elk, N.C., Nancy Wildermann of Durham, N.C., Robin Machen of Heathsville, Va., Karen Kalinowski (Roger) of Wahpeton, N.D., Cristina Christensen of Sun City, Ariz., James Lund (Shirley) of Lake Park, Minn., and George Lund (Evonne) of Audibon, Minn. Mrs. Machen was born May 28, 1908, the daughter of Henry and Gea Bono of Edmore, N.D. She took nurse's training at St. Luke's Hospital in Fargo, N.D., and became a registered nurse at age 20. After working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., she was a nurse at an Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas, during World War II. It was there that she met George Machen, a soldier from Norfolk, who was a patient. The two fell in love, married on May 6, 1945, and at the end of the war moved back to Norfolk, where they remained until 1999 when they moved to Milwaukee to be closer to their daughter and son-in-law. She was a longtime member of Park Place United Methodist Church. A memorial service will be held in Milwaukee in July. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Park Place UMC.