Bonnie Ray, age 86, passed away on December 10, 2021. On this day, South Lake County lost a beloved, respected and valued community member.
A lifelong learner with a passion for helping others, she dedicated herself to serving the citizens of Clermont through her work as Librarian at Cooper Memorial Library. In this role, Bonnie inspired a love for reading in countless others. Indeed, her favorite saying was “The readers are the leaders!”.
She was always finding creative ways to engage. In the original location, she had a bathtub brought into the children’s area to give them a fun and relaxing spot to read. In the location on Montrose and Lake Ave, she turned an old bank vault into a teenager’s vault. She developed a program for helping troubled youth and she set up free night classes, arranging volunteers to teach folks how to read. Bonnie also organized guest speakers, encouraged the local art league to set up displays, and solicited contributions for the betterment of the library (and by extension, the community).
Throughout her life, Bonnie sought out ways to better herself and to help out in the community. In her youth, she played the trumpet and developed skills as an artist, learning how to draw and paint. In 1980, she organized a human chain over three blocks long to move the local library from one location to another. Under her direction, volunteers passed the library’s complete collection of books by hand in one day! In 1982, she helped organize (and was the Charter President for) the Zeta XI Sorority, a group who stood for education, encouragement and enhancement for both the chapter and the surrounding community.
After raising three children, she put herself through college, attending UCF (then FTU) and ultimately earning a Master’s Degree in Library Science from USF. She then went on to fulfill her dream of becoming Head Librarian at Cooper Memorial. In 1995, the Clermont Chamber of Commerce awarded her the “Gem of the Hills Award” for her outstanding contributions in the community.
Bonnie was a force and a treasure. She leaves behind a legacy of grace, wisdom, courage, and humility. Her silly songs and jokes, her larger-than-life laugh, her warm hugs, the love she poured out to her family and her community, and her endless wisdom will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.
