Bonnie Little

Jan. 16, 1949 - April 15, 2016

Bonnie Little passed away April 15, 2016, surrounded by her family.  She will be greatly missed by those whose lives she touched. She had a huge, generous heart and always put others before herself. She dedicated herself to her family and leaves behind a legacy of love and wonderful memories.

Bonnie was born in Alhambra, California, to Albert and Norma (Edgerton) Bertolotti.  She completed the family by joining older siblings Mary and Jim. Bonnie grew up in Arleta, California, surrounded by a large extended family and graduated from San Fernando High School. In 1967, Bonnie married Richard Little. They were quickly joined by two daughters, Christy and Julie. In 1976, Bonnie and her daughters moved to Corvallis. She began working in the banking industry, and has continued to do so for over 40 years. 

Bonnie loved her daughters, grandchildren and grandpets deeply. She raised Christy and Julie largely by herself and taught them how to be strong, independent women, and what unconditional love looks like. She took them on many adventures that created cherished memories. When her grandchildren came along, she was overjoyed.  She was the grandma who was there for every milestone, every school function, performance and sporting event. She was present in the daily life of her family talking on the phone almost every day to her daughters, visiting often, always offering a helping hand no matter what the project was, playing with and taking care of her grand pets, and simply enjoying time together. One of her favorite things to do was being with her family at the beach in Neskowin watching the eagles. 

Bonnie was preceded in death by both her parents and her sister, Mary Gillespie.

She is survived by her daughter, Christy Little; daughter Julie Hessel and husband Colter; grandchildren Wiley and Jenna Hessel; and brother Jim Bertolotti and wife Diane. She also leaves behind several cherished nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 23, 2016, at McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis.

In lieu flowers, donations can be made in her honor to Project H.E.R. (Help, Enlightenment, Resources for local breast cancer patients) at www.corvallisclinicfoundation.org/project-her.

Thoughts and memories can be left for the family at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.