Bonnie Himebauch Cleveland

    Bonnie Himebauch Cleveland

November 10, 1941 – February 12, 2022

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.  Psalm 116:15

Saturday evening, February 12, 2022, Bonnie Himebauch Cleveland entered the presence of her Lord.  Bonnie will be missed by her husband of sixty years, Allen Jones Cleveland lll, by her children Jeffrey, David, and Amy and their spouses, by her eleven grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and by her sister Linda Hoke, brother Vernon Himebauch, and their families.  

Bonnie, the eldest child of Vernon T. Himebauch and Alma (Aimee) Himebauch, moved from her birthplace of Detroit to Charlotte when she was sixteen years old.  Her family lived on Rea Road when it was just a country dirt road, and their only neighbors were the Reas, who lived miles further up the road.  Bonnie met Allen when she was a junior at East Mecklenburg High School and he was home visiting from Clemson University.  Bonnie went on to study chemistry at Brevard College and medical technology at Queens College, and Allen saw her when he could on the weekends.  They were married on December 24, 1961 at Weddington Methodist Church and moved together to Athens, where Allen was then studying for his degree in veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia.

Upon graduating, Allen worked as a veterinarian for several years in Woodbridge, VA before he and Bonnie moved back to Charlotte to start Matthews Animal Clinic on Monroe Road. In the early years Bonnie kept the accounts for the clinic and helped organize the business. The Clevelands lived off McCleod Street in downtown Matthews, and their children walked to Matthews Elementary School.  Later the family built a home in Weddington next to Allen’s parents, A.J. and Blanche Cleveland.  Allen and Bonnie designed their home, and Bonnie served as general contractor during the building process.  She had an outstanding mind for numbers and details, and throughout her life maintained an interest in the early history of Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte.

Bonnie’s main labor in life was in caring for her husband and children.  She was a devoted wife and mother who looked after her household well. She ran a tidy, well-organized home, and frequently welcomed guests.  In addition, Bonnie was a magnificent gardener who loved spending time working in her garden.  She canned her produce and made lovely jellies from her homegrown raspberries and scuppernong grapes.  Her family and friends spent many evenings around her table, enjoying her casseroles, green beans, biscuits, and jellies.  She was intellectually curious and often asked challenging questions of others to get them to think deeply. She loved to participate in family discussions, where she sought to apply scripture to social and current events.  

Even though Bonnie was a gifted bookkeeper, homemaker and gardener, her family will remember her best for her devotion to the Lord Jesus and to his church, both local and abroad.  Bonnie was a member of Carmel Baptist Church for 40 years, where she taught Sunday school, mission, and financial accountability classes, and served on several committees over the years.  She and Allen traveled together on church-sponsored mission trips, and Bonnie also visited many exotic locations with the Jesus Film Project.   Along with Allen, Bonnie served as a board member for the Jesus Film Project.  Her family will remember her generosity, faithfulness, and dependability as she served her Lord.

We are comforted as we remember that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’”  Revelation 21:4-5

We are also thankful that our wife, mother and grandmother not only gave good gifts to us, but also made many eternal investments in the kingdom of God.  Who knows what these investments may yield?  The LORD tells us in Isaiah 55:10-11, “As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

In lieu flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the Jesus Film Project ( cru.org ), The Charlotte Rescue Mission ( charlotterescuemission.org ), or to The Salvation Army ( salvationarmyusa.org )