A celebration of life will be held on January 3rd at 1:30 pm at the Unity Spiritual Center of Portland located at 4525 SE Stark St., Portland, OR 97215.

Bonnie, devoted mother, gifted educator, community activist, and cherished friend, passed away peacefully on Oct 3rd at the age of 78 in Portland, OR. Born in San Francisco, CA Bonnie was raised in Carmel, CA where her lifelong love of nature, learning, and human connection began to blossom.

She attended the historic Carmel Mission School through fourth grade and remained close with many of her classmates throughout her life. Bonnie later graduated from Santa Catalina School in Monterey, CA where her intellectual curiosity, creativity, and deep values were nurtured.

Bonnie was a lifelong activist and community builder. She worked tirelessly in the peace movement, for nuclear nonproliferation, and for access to healthcare. Her volunteerism was rooted in compassion and service to community. Through the 1970s and 1980s she served on the boards of six organizations including Neighborcare Health Clinics, the Oregon Peace Institute, and St. Francis School.

Bonnie's life changed forever with the unexpected loss of her beloved husband, Sean Doran, in 1981. In the face of profound grief, she rose with fierce love and resilience to raise their two daughters on her own. As a mother, she embodied strength, tenderness, and deep wisdom. She taught by example, showing her daughters how to live with integrity, stand up for others, and find beauty even in hardship.

In 1988, she married Dick Boak, with whom she shared a creative, thoughtful life centered around family, community, and shared ideals.

Bonnie earned a master's degree in communication studies from Portland State University and went on to teach at Portland State University   and Marylhurst University. She was an inspiring educator who brought heart, humor, and critical insight into the classroom.  Her students often described her as someone who made learning both rigorous and deeply human.

Bonnie delighted in creating a home and was an avid gardener. A member of the Hardy Plant Society, her lush, vibrant garden was admired by neighbors and passersby alike, who often stopped to compliment her garden or ask her advice. Bonnie was always eager to share her knowledge and a cutting from a thriving plant. After retiring, she found a new creative outlet in quilting – making quilts of her own design and completing the quilts started by quilters of earlier eras.

On the board of her neighborhood association, in the 1970s and again in the 2000s, Bonnie was a neighborhood anchor welcoming new neighbors, facilitating neighborhood parties, and offering a helping hand wherever she could.

She is survived by her husband Dick Boak, two daughters, Erin Doran (Dmitry Sherbakov) of Seattle and Rachel Doran of Portland, two stepsons, Gabe Boak of Bend and Jonah Willbach (Maggie Kearns-Willbach) of Portland and grandchildren Nicholas Sherbakov, Sasha Doran, and Emilia Boak. She was preceded in death by her husband, Sean Doran, her daughter, Deirdre Doran, and her parents, Mary and Frank Bray.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Oregon Food Bank or Sisters of the Road.