Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend, Charlan Lei (Buchignani Summers) Bonebright of Florence, Montana, passed away November 25, 2024, surrounded by family, from a nearly three year battle with cancer. Char was born on September 29, 1947, in Memphis, Tennessee, to her parents Vincent Eugene and Jewel Betty Buchignani. Raised in Memphis as well, in 1965 she married Ronnie Max Summers. She and Ron lived in Michigan, California, and Tennessee before settling down in Little Rock, Arkansas, where they raised their two children: David and Christy Summers. She was preceded in death by Ron in 1989.
In 1991, she married Richard “Rick” Bonebright and moved from Arkansas to his home state of Montana. In Montana, Char was employed twenty years for the University of Montana. For the last fifteen years of her career, she devoted her impeccable skills in diplomacy and organization in the President’s Office where she maintained the University President’s schedule and the office’s budget and social calendar.
Char was known for her caring and kind disposition. Always generous in spirit and supportive, she had an innate ability to put others at ease. She made friends easily, saw the best in people, maintained positivity in the face of adversity, and cultivated lifelong friendships. She took an impassioned interest in the varied pursuits of her family members, affording them her presence and cheerleading spirit along the way.
Char enjoyed being in the outdoors, camping, hiking, snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, and most of all enjoyed her family and her pets. Over the course of her adult life, she trained multiple German and Australian shepherds / border collies in both obedience and agility, even competing in agility competitions with her adored Tuxedo. An avid birder, she had a particular affinity for hummingbirds, and they for her. In her retirement years, she enjoyed Model T Touring with her husband and became an avid and skilled quilter. Even during her illness, her purposeful quilting afforded her family cherished gifts of quilts, throws, and table runners.
Char is now a heavenly angel to those she leaves behind: husband Rick; son David and daughter in-law Sandra; daughter Christy; stepson Wes Bonebright; and grandchildren Courtney, Kristen, and Stephanie Summers; Cole Tremewan; and Emily Bonebright.
The family will host a visitation on Tuesday, December 3, 6:00-8:00 p.m., at Pinecrest Funeral Home, 7401 Highway S North, Alexander, AR 72002. A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, December 4, 3:00 p.m., at Pinecrest Memorial Park (same address). A celebration of life will take place in Florence, Montana, in early 2025.
A celebration of life will take place at the Florence-Carlton Church, 20075 Old Highway 93, Florence, Montana, April 26, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.
The family extends a special thanks to those instrumental in her treatment and care: Richard Ohye, M.D.; Michigan Medicine Rogel Cancer Center; Karl Sorenson, M.D.; and Partners in Home Care Hospice.