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Bonnie Louise Melander, age 81, passed away peacefully on December 6, 2025. She was born in Duluth, Minnesota on September 9, 1944 to parents, Louis & Irene (Kauppi) Sternal.
She was raised in West Duluth, was a 1962 graduate of Denfeld High School, and raised her own family here. Bonnie married Donald Melander on October 17, 1975. Together, they owned and operated Belanger, Inc. for 19 years. Upon their retirement, they moved to Punta Gorda, FL and lived there for 18 years. Bonnie loved to entertain and bring people together. She and Don often hosted family gatherings; card or board games with friends and family followed by dessert; and regularly had a jigsaw puzzle in various stages of completion on their dining room table, inviting all guests to put in a few pieces.
Bonnie is preceded in death by her parents; brother, Richard (Sugar) Sternal; and brother-in-law, Bill Boggess. She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Donald D. Melander; children, Thomas Grassinger, Jeffrey Grassinger, Melissa (Grassinger) King, Gary (Carla) Melander, and Scott (Cynthia) Melander; sister, Diane Boggess; 6 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Friday, January 9, 2026 at Williams Lobermeier Boettcher Funeral Home, 3208 W 3rd Street, Duluth, MN 55806. Interment at Oneota Cemetery will be in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, please consider a charitable donation to American Cancer Society Richard M Schulze Family Hope Lodge in Minneapolis (https://raiseyourway.donordrive.com/hopelodgeminneapolis).
"When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure." - Unknown
