Patricia "Pat" Bonanno

age 81, died peacefully on January 12, 2019, after a long battle with Lewy Body dementia. Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, she was the daughter of William H. and Rose (Greco) Thomson. She graduated from Hillsborough High School and the University of Tampa. After marrying the love of her life, she moved across the bridge to St. Petersburg, Florida where she taught in Pinellas County schools. She became interested in childhood development and earned her master's degree in counseling from USF. Continuing her interest, she earned a master's degree in psychology also at USF, and practiced as a school psychologist in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Pat lived in Nagano, Japan for 1 1/2 years where she taught English as part of an exchange program with Pinellas County schools and Nagano Prefecture. After retiring from her career in education, Pat was a Romance Writer and a Real Estate agent for Keller - Williams and then Smith & Company. She was a member of St. Petersburg Yacht Club, and an active member of the St. Petersburg Women's Club and served on the board and was a past president. She loved fast cars and owned a number of Firebirds, most recently a Trans Am. She was an avid skier and spent many vacations in New Hampshire at her favorite resort, The Balsams, Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. She will be remembered as an adventurer and a gift giver extraordinaire. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Henry J. Bonanno; and daughter, Karen J. Bonanno. She is survived by her dog, Teddy; cat, Sandy; daughter, Barbara Bonanno (Sara Crawley), St. Petersburg; grandchildren, Quinn and Spencer Bonanno-Crawley, St. Petersburg; sisters, Louise Thomson, Melbourne, Florida; Sylvia "Cookie" Gardner, Tampa, Florida; nieces, Chris Regalado and Suzanne Gardner Ankers; and nephew, Edward Gardner, all of Tampa, Florida; exchange daughter, Irmhild "Nicky" Huhnert; and Japanese family, the Obinata's of Nagano, Japan. A Gathering of family and friends will be held on Sunday, January 20, 2019 from 1-2 pm with a Memorial Service to immediately follow at Anderson-McQueen, 2201 MLK Street N, St. Petersburg. Donations may be made to The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home - Northeast Family Tribute Center