Bonnie Olander

Bonnie (Bartella) Olander, 74, of Pequot Lakes, passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 1, 2023. Bonnie was born October 25, 1948 to Vernon and Mayme (Hultgren) Bartella in Staples, MN. She grew up on the family farm with her siblings Rick Bartella, Judy Thorsett, and Pat Jensen learning about responsibility and hard work that helped her later in life. Her love of children drove her to earn a degree in education from Bemidji State followed by many years of fond teaching memories.

In 1968 Bonnie married Dennis and together they started a life in Pequot Lakes.  For many years Bonnie filled her time working alongside her husband doing lawn care, gardening, running a vegetable and pumpkin stand, processing deer, making sausage, selling Christmas trees and garage saleing. A friend of all, Bonnie wanted to be remembered by everyone who stopped by and visited.

Two daughters filled Bonnie’s life: Lisa Spizzo (Tom), and Terri Shogren (Chad).  She was thankful for and always enjoyed spending time with her four beautiful grandchildren: Aiden, Julia, Ethan, and Jonathan. She was grateful for all the friends she made along the way and will be remembered for teaching all the importance of honesty, love, and generosity.

According to Bonnie’s wishes, a celebration of her life will be held at the Pequot Lakes American Legion from 1-4 pm on Saturday, May 13th.