Bonnie von Duyke, accomplished artist
Bonnie von Duyke, 88, of Newark, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her loving family Tuesday, March 6, 2012, after a courageous battle with cancer.
A noted freelance artist, Bonnie was an exceptionally accomplished watercolorist who exhibited her work to excellent reviews in juried exhibitions for many years. Her award-winning watercolors, portraits, and works in various media are in numerous private and corporate collections. She also exhibited at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, Delaware Art Museum, the Rehoboth Art League, Berman Museum at Ursinus College, Woodmere Art Museum, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Perkins Center for the Arts, Baltimore Watercolor Society, Academy of the Arts in Easton, Md., and in New York City at the Salmagundi Club and National Arts Club.
Her many professional affiliations included signature membership in the American Artists Professional League, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, the National Association of Women Artists, and the Philadelphia Water Color Society, and membership in the National League of American Pen Women. Locally, she was an associate of the prestigious Howard Pyle Studio Group and a member of the Rehoboth Art League.
Born in Cambridge, Md., Sept. 3, 1923, Bonnie was the daughter of the late Dorsey Burnham and Nellie Lerch Burnham. A graduate of Dover High School, she would go on to study at the National Art School in Washington, D.C., the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art (currently University of the Arts), and the Rhode Island School of Design.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Harrison, and by siblings, Claude Burnham, Dorsey "Jack" Burnham, and Alice Wible. She is survived by her five children: Michelle Rumble (Wesley) of Lewes, Yvonne (Ranck) Tetreault (Tad Tweed) of Smithsburg, Md., Toni McHenry (Robert) of Downingtown, Pa., Tina Stalker (Ray) of Woodstock, Ill., and Timothy von Duyke of Newark; 28 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial celebration of Bonnie's life will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, March 31, at Ogletown Baptist Church, 316 Red Mill Road, Newark, where visitation will begin at 1 p.m. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Bonnie von Duyke may be made to Delaware Hospice, 3515 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE 19810.
