Bonnie La Rocca-Crane

Bonnie LaRocca Crane (née Wacker), who's passion was nursing and her children, passed away peacefully on May 24, 2024 at her home. Bonnie was 65 years old. Born in Poughkeepsie, NY, on May 22, 1959, she was the daughter of the late John "Jack" Wacker and Joan Wacker (née Ollivett), who survives.
She attended Hyde Park, NY, schools and was a resident of Poughkeepsie, NY, for more than 30 years. She moved to Florence, SC, in 2016. While at F. D. Roosevelt High School, she was active as a cheerleader and played clarinet in the band. During this time, she also attended Dutchess County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and earned her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification in 1977. She then attended Dutchess Community College earning her Associate's degree in 1979 while working part-time at the Hyde Park Nursing Home. Upon graduation, she began her career at Vassar Brother's Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY, in the medical surge unit and floated to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she was the charge nurse on the 3-11pm shift. In 1980, she worked on the Intravenous (IV) Team and was repeatedly commended by both doctors and patients. Bonnie briefly left Vassar Brother's Hospital and moved to Boston, MA, where she worked at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Neurological ICU. Upon returning to Vassar Brother's Hospital, she worked in the ICU unit until her retirement in 2011, earning Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Instructor certification.
Bonnie is survived by her children, Anthony Larocca, III (Tiffany), Poughkeepsie, NY, and Vanessa LaRocca (Deano), Pleasant Valley, NY. She had four granddaughters, Aniyah, Gia, Gemma, and Idahlia. She is survived by her mother, Joan Wacker, Florence, SC, and brothers John Wacker (Tami), Hopewell Junction, NY, and James Wacker (Lisa), Florene, SC, as well as several nieces and nephews. A memorial visitation hour will be held on Saturday, June 15, 2024 from 11:00am to 12:00pm at Sweet's Funeral Home in Hyde Park, N.Y. Memorial services will begin at 12:00pm to celebrate her life.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/) or the Tunnels to Towers Foundation (https://t2t.org/).
Arrangements are under the direction of Sweet's Funeral Home, Inc., Rte. 9, Hyde Park.
To send an online condolence, or for directions, please visit www.sweetsfuneralhome.com.