Geraldine Bonkowski Bove

On September 10, 2023, our beloved mother, Geraldine Bonkowski Bove, died peacefully in her home at the age of 81 surrounded by family. She was our friend, our safety net, our glue that held us together. Thankfully, she lived a beautiful and wonderful life.

Our mother was born June 22, 1942 in Wilmington, Delaware. She married her husband, Paul Mark Bove, on December 30, 1961 in Wilmington, Delaware. They raised four children together.

Our mother was a loving mother to us and a supportive wife to her husband. She had a great smile, loved to dance, was an avid reader, and enjoyed doing crossword puzzles. She really enjoyed life and spending time with her family.

She is survived by her husband, and her four children. Son Paul, Jr and his wife Christine of Austin, Texas. Son Brian and his wife Jaime of Lewisville, Texas. Daughter Alison and her significant other, Wayne of Tampa, Florida. Son David of Palm Harbor, Florida. She is also survived by Poncho, “one mean blue and gold Macaw”, that has tried countless times to bite our toes.

During our youth, mom would spend countless evenings playing tennis with her husband and friends on the public tennis courts in Wilmington, Delaware. As we grew older, we enjoyed day trips as a family to Rehoboth beach in Delaware, to Atlantic City in New Jersey, and to amusement parks in Pennsylvania. We also enjoyed family vacations together to destinations such as Walt Disney World in Florida and Niagara Falls in New York. In 1976, our family moved to a small town in Texas which was a bit of a cultural shock to our whole family. There, mom and dad enjoyed bowling together in leagues for the company they both worked for. They also continued to play tennis together as long as the relentless Texas heat did not get the best of them. In 1983, the family moved to Safety Harbor, Florida. While living in Florida, our mother and father enjoyed life together. During their retirement, we enjoyed more family trips to Hawaii, Utah, and Las Vegas. They travelled abroad and enjoyed taking day trips together in their car to visit various places in Florida, including watching Manatees in their natural habitat. Occasionally, mom and dad would take longer trips together in their car and travel trailer to places outside of Florida. They enjoyed fishing excursions together on their boat. They would also ride their bikes together, with dad taking his bird, Poncho, with him, riding on his shoulder. But we think the activity that gave mom the most joy was simply sitting at the table in her home or in the home of one of her children playing the domino game Train with her family.

We are grateful that our mother enjoyed a wonderful life with her family. Though we are all sad now that she is no longer with us, we take comfort in knowing that one day soon we will all be together again as a family sitting around a table playing Train. Mom, we love you very much and will miss you dearly.