Bonnie Sue Scripps (nee Storey) of Darby, Montana, passed away on February 7, 2014 at the age of 63. She had fought a courageous battle since being diagnosed with cancer in late 2013.
Bonnie was born on January 26, 1951, and her lifelong passion for the culinary arts led her to Florida, where she studied at the Culinary Institute of Florida and met Charles E. Scripps. Jr., whom she married in March 1999.
Charles and Bonnie started their married life in Blue Ash, Ohio, but the two soon began looking for a home that would satisfy their love of the outdoors. They moved to a rural ranch in western Montana, where she trained saddle horses and immersed herself further in her culinary expertise. The ranch’s kitchen – which rivals the country’s finest commercial kitchens – was designed personally by Bonnie to satisfy her desire to teach the finer points of cooking to others. Much like the renowned kitchens on cable television’s Food Network, to which Bonnie had strong personal affiliations, her kitchen has a large and open floor plan that allowed her to easily instruct large groups – a service she often donated to help non-profits and other worthy causes. Every summer, hundreds of firefighters who used the ranch as a staging area would credit Bonnie and her kitchen staff for keeping them supplied with cookies during fire season.
The ranch afforded Bonnie the opportunity to focus on healthy cooking, so she designed a customized greenhouse that allowed her family and friends to enjoy fresh produce all year.
Anyone who knew Bonnie understood the importance to her of loyalty. Despite living in several parts of the country, she doggedly kept in touch with her many friends from coast to coast. Her very best friend, Susan Benz, moved from Florida to stay with her and Charles.
She was preceded in death by her only child, Jesse, but his young daughters, Ocean and Sofa, have been regular fixtures at the ranch with Bonnie in recent years.
Bonnie is greatly missed by her husband and a multitude of family, friends and admirers that are too numerous to mention.
Joan Cobb Smith says
I knew Bonnie in Birmingham, AL in 1955-1956. My family visited her in FL, and then we lost contact, except for her Uncle Carl. I called her parents Uncle Mitt and Aunt Sue and her older sister Candy. I don\\\\\\’t remember meeting her younger sister. I have been in the process of tracking her down for years and was SO SORRY to see this obit. She has a very special place in my heart- she pierced my ears in my bathroom in Birmingham while her mom and mine had gone to play Bingo!