Schmitz-Banks and Beals Funeral Home obituary - Bonnadonna L. Siegfried, 89, formerly of Niota

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Bonnadonna “Bonnie” L. (Rueth) Siegfried, age 89, of Boone, IA and formerly of Niota, IL, passed away peacefully with her children by her side on Thursday, September 9, 2021 at Westhaven Community in Boone.
Catholic Services will be held at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Nauvoo, IL. Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, September 18, 2021, followed by burial in Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Nauvoo, IL. Visitation will be held from 9:00 A.M. until time of service.
Bonnie was born on April 28, 1932 in Rock Island, IL, the daughter of Fred C. and Elenor W. (Vorwaldt) Rueth. At around the age of two, her father passed away. After her father’s passing her mother and her moved to Fort Madison, IA to be closer to family. Bonnie graduated from St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Fort Madison, IA in 1950.
Bonnie was united in marriage with Paul Siegfried on September 5, 1959 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Fort Madison. Bonnie left her job at Sheaffer Pen Company in Fort Madison, after nearly 10 years, to raise their family. For the remainder of her life, she was a faithful and devoted farmer’s wife.
Bonnie was an avid seamstress (even sewing doll clothes), canning, cooking casseroles to deliver to the field, and being crafty. She made Christmas ornaments, Halloween costumes; you name it, she could make it! She enjoyed a little time to herself watching QVC or soap operas and would venture out to yard sales on Saturday mornings to snag a good deal.
In the fall of 2014, Paul and Bonnie moved to Boone, IA from their farm in Niota, IL. The couple enjoyed the move, being closer to family and getting to socialize more. Paul passed away on August 29, 2017. After nearly 60 years of marriage, Bonnie continued to be a loving wife, mother and supportive grandmother.
Bonnie is survived by her son, Brent L. (Yolantha) Siegfried of Aurora, IL; daughter, Alison (Eric) Purtle of Boone, IA; grandchildren, Alexander and Andrew Siegfried and Alizarin and Evanston Purtle; and cousins, Duane, Gary, Larry and Sr Justine Denning, and Ina Merschman. She was preceded in death by her parents; and husband, Paul.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel of Boone, IA. Schmitz-Banks & Beals Funeral Home of Nauvoo, IL will be assisting with services in Nauvoo. Online condolences may be left to Bonnie’s family at eitherwww.schroedermemorialchapel.comorwww.sbbfuneralhome.com. Memorial donations may be directed to Suncrest Hospice, West Des Moines, IA or Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery, Nauvoo, IL.
So God Made a Farmer’s Wife
And on the 9th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker for the hard working farmer.”- So God made a Farmer’s Wife.
God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, feed the farmer, work all day making a house a home, work alongside her farmer when needed, make supper, package it up and then go to the field and wait patiently at the end of the row for the farmer to come have his meal.”-So God made a Farmer’s Wife.
“I need somebody with arms strong enough to carry a basket of wet overalls up the basement stairs to go out to the clothesline and yet gentle enough to rock a newborn baby. Somebody to run for parts, move trucks, deliver meals, look the farmer in the eyes and tell him ‘I love you and come back home real soon’ – and mean it”.-So God made a Farmer’s Wife.
God said, “I need somebody willing to hem pants, mend holes, who can remove stains, make doll clothes, craft Christmas ornaments, keep a house clean, bake casseroles, snap green beans, clean sweetcorn, can tomatoes and dress chickens.”-So God made a Farmer’s Wife.
God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts of life alongside the farmer while staying up late praying for rain clouds and good fortune for her family, then race to help the farmer whenever she is needed.-So God made a Farmer’s Wife.
God said, “I need somebody strong enough to carry on when her farmer is called home before her, yet gentle enough to be a grandma. It had to be somebody who’d be able to handle the years of a thankless job while not cutting corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, wash and dry and cook and clean; and somebody to remember scheduled events and stock the cupboards and finish a hard week’s work with a ten-mile drive to church in clean and freshly pressed Sunday bests.“Somebody who would bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply only with smiling eyes, when her time has come to rest and join the farmer.”-So God Blessed the Farmer’s Wife.
A rewriting by Alison Siegfried-Purtle of the Paul Harvey ‘God Made a Farmer Speech’ to the FFA delivered November 1978, Kansas City, MO.
Schmitz-Banks & Beals Funeral Home in Nauvoo is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made at:www.sbbfuneralhome.com.

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