Mrs. Bonnie Phyllis Fabre`

Bonnie Phyllis Fabré, 96, passed from this earthly life on March 13, 2018, in Colton, California, with her family by her side. A memorial service was held on Wednesday, March 21st, and she was buried alongside of her husband at Riverside National Cemetery. Bonnie was born to Bonnie Clark, of Havana, Cuba, and Desdimona Odessa Clark, of Henderson, Kentucky, on June 21, 1921, in Chicago, Illinois. As a little girl Bonnie traveled to New York and performed on Vaudeville with her mother and father. She loved to dance and sing, both of which she did exceptionally well. Bonnie attended Englewood High School in Chicago, where she played the French horn in the school band. In her last year of high school, her brother introduced her to Cornelius, who later became her husband. Bonnie married Cornelius Joseph Fabré on September 18, 1938. Bonnie attended Baptist church during her childhood years, until she met her husband, when she then converted to Catholicism. After they wed, they moved to Louisiana where they had the first four of their children. When Cornelius went off to serve in the Navy, she and the four children moved to Buffalo, New York, to stay with her aunt, Sarah. Soon after, they settled in Chicago, where the rest of their children were born. Together they had 12 children in total - seven boys and five girls. They later raised three grandchildren due to an untimely death of one of their five daughters in 1970. While raising her 12 children, Bonnie also worked outside the home as a coil winder for Automatic Electric. From there she changed her career and went on to work for Kemper Insurance in Chicago and later in California. She so impressed the partners at Kemper with her sharp mind and mathematical ability that they offered to pay for her to train as an actuary, someone who analyzes and calculates insurances risks and premiums. She ultimately decided not to pursue actuarial studies in order to continue to care for her children. Before leaving Chicago for Los Angeles in 1970, she worked as the Principal's secretary at St. James Catholic School, where all twelve of her children attended. During the early years, Bonnie and Cornelius while on vacation from work traveled to California, Georgia, Colorado, Louisiana, and Mexico. In 1970 with the two youngest of her 12 children and three grandchildren, they packed up and moved to California. After raising their 15 children, they visited Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada, often - where she loved to play the penny slots. After losing her husband Cornelius in 1987, she looked for ways to keep herself busy and took to playing bingo. While playing bingo she met many friends with whom she began to go on cruises and casino trips. Bonnie had a big heart and visited many of her friends when they became ill. Bonnie leaves behind to cherish her memory her beloved children: Cornelius, Jr., Barbara, Pamilla, Sarah, Etienne (Mike), Lucas, John, Roderick, and Gail (Princess); 48 grandchildren; 87 great-grandchildren; and 75 great-great-grandchildren. A host of nieces, nephews, cousins, two brothers-in-law, Leo and Harold, and two sisters-in-law, Florence and Joyce, will also miss her dearly. Her parents, Bonnie and Odessa, her siblings, Henrietta, Darris, Sarah Louise, June, and Garland, and her children, Henrietta, Ronald, and Gregory, all also preceded her in death. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mrs. Bonnie Phyllis Fabre` please visit our Sympathy Store.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mrs. Bonnie Phyllis Fabre`, please visit our floral store.