Bonnie Durrant

Bonnie Ann Baird Durrant passed away on February 17, 2025 at home surrounded by her family at the age of 84. She was born on October 11, 1940 near Blackfoot, Idaho to A. Wayne and Isabell Baird. She was the fourth of nine kids. She grew up with her family on a small farm in Goshen, Idaho, sharing many adventures with her sisters and brother Calvin. Mom learned how to work hard and instilled that in her children. She was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints her entire life serving in many callings and with five sons she was very active in scouting. 

She attended Ricks College and Utah State University and became a teacher before becoming a “domestic engineer” while raising her large family. Mom was a professional homemaker, taking many classes throughout her life to take care of herself and her family. She met her husband Tom while attending Utah State University. Dad was working as a security guard at the bookstore and mom walked in and called him by name remembering him from Institute Choir before his mission. Mom asked him if he was going to the dance that weekend. He’d already had a date for the dance, but he went to the dance and on the second dance he asked mom to dance, and he never danced with anyone else. He took mom home leaving his date behind to be taken home by mom’s roommate. That was the beginning of a long and beautiful life together. 

They were married August 20, 1965 in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. Together they had 11 children and spent 59 years together having many adventures taking family vacations and enjoying lots of love and making memories. Mom was a professional list maker and could organize and pack the family motorhome at a moment’s notice to head for Yellowstone National Park or a visit to our many relatives. The family has many memories of mom’s love of the outdoors and especially trips to Alturas Lake from her honeymoon there and throughout her married life. Her determination and stubbornness was exemplified in her fight to get the orange rubber raft inflated and in the lake even though she was afraid of the water. Many family nights were spent at the Blackfoot pool with dad chasing the kids around while mom stayed in the kiddie pool with the little kids. 

They lived in Utah, Washington, Nevada and Idaho throughout their married life, always moving where the family needed to be. Mom had a deep love of reading collecting a vast library of books she shared with her children and grandchildren. Many memories we all share is of mom reading to dad as he drove in the car by the light of a flashlight. We have so many stories of family memories in mom’s perfect penmanship written on notebooks and scraps of paper keeping a running family history. Mom was an excellent seamstress sewing clothes for the family, mending an astonishing amount of Levi’s through the years. Her talents were used when she completely reupholstered one of the family motorhomes. Mom also spent time working as a seamstress for the Utah Festival Opera in Logan. We all loved her stories of when she lived in Washington D.C. before getting married. Mom lived a great life and loved her family, spending many great times visiting them and organizing family reunions. She was determined to keep track of her many nieces and nephews and loved them all. Mom loved family reunions even though she seemed to pack up the entire house to make sure we always had everything we could possibly need. Mom was always prepared for any contingency and instilled that in her children. 

It was a privilege to care for mom these last few years just as we had watched her care for her elderly parents. We thought we’d lose her soon after her stroke in 2023 but she rallied and we had her for the last year and a half. The dementia had its good and bad days and frustrations, but everyone helped take care of her with her son Aaron being her main caregiver. Mom was always feisty and gave dad some challenging times in the last six months but his love for her was apparent in his care for her. Dad has often said how grateful he was to have such good children who have helped out so much these last few years. We were trained well by our mother to handle adversity and live with faith and find strength in our family. We know she has had a great reunion with her children and parents and her sisters she has missed so much. 

She is survived by her husband Tom; children - Tom (Crystine), Alan (Sereen), Tamye, Suzie, Aaron, Brenda (Vaughn), Evan (Dana), Tiffiny (Shane) and Chris; 18 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, 2 sisters, and her twins. Mom loved her many sons and daughters-in-law and the many grandchildren who have joined our family through the years. She delighted in her great grandchildren who brought much joy to her in the last years. 

Funeral services will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 12 pm at the LDS church, 4363 E. 17th Street, Ammon, ID 83406. A viewing will be held prior to the services from 9:30-11:30 am also at the church. Burial will follow at the Ammon Cemetery, Ammon, ID. 

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