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Patricia D. Bonk, strong, yet elegant

January 13, 2021

Patricia D. Bonk of Rehoboth Beach passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by family Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021.   She was the daughter of the late Helen McWhorter Draper and Henry Carlton Draper of Milton, born in the dining room of her family home  Nov. 11, 1926.  

She attended high school at the Southern Seminary in Buena Vista, Va.  While attending University of Maryland, she met her college sweetheart, Harry Bonk. They were married one week after she received her bachelor’s degree with a major in psychology and a minor in English in 1948.  She was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority and a lifetime fan of University of Maryland.

She was a strong yet elegant woman, incredibly witty, an avid golfer, tennis player and horseback rider. She was a bridge player, traveled extensively both in the United States and abroad.  She loved books and completed the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle weekly. She loved jazz and singing, and was an artist who left behind many paintings for her family.  She was a Rehoboth Beach Country Club member for over 57 years.  She volunteered with Easter Seals and tutored students struggling at the high school level.  Most of all, she was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt who influenced and inspired generations of family.  

In addition to her parents, she was preceded by her husband of 63 years, Harry Bonk.  She is survived by her four children, Karla Draper, Harry “Hank” Bonk (Cindy Rader), Shauna Thompson (Wayne Hawkins) and Mark Bonk; nine grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and her sister, Isabelle Sinclair (Donald).

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19, at St. Edmond Catholic Church, 409 King Charles Ave., Rehoboth Beach.  Interment will follow at Cool Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, Lewes.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Easter Seals of Delaware www.easterseals.com/de, or the University of Delaware, Harry Bonk Agriculture Scholarship, Development & Alumni Relations, 83 East Main St., Newark, DE 19716.  

Arrangements in the care of Short Funeral Services, Milton. Online condolences may be left at shortfuneralservicesandcremation.com.

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