Born March 13, 1946
Ascended into Heaven on August 16, 2025
Bonnie was born on March 13, 1946, to Joseph and Ethel (Foster) Bachman, in Falls City, Nebraska.
Bonnie grew up on a Midwestern farm in the 1950’s and 1960’s in rural Nebraska with her brothers Jody and John, and sister, Rose Mary.
As a young girl, Bonnie filled much of her time tending, nurturing, and loving the many barn cats that dwelled on the farm. She loved all things nature, and most of all she loved exploring the countryside with her beloved dog, Spotty. As a young girl, Bonnie began journaling her daily adventures, thoughts and dreams, something that would become a lifelong project later in life, as a published author.
Bonnie graduated from Falls City Sacred Heart High School in 1964. Shortly thereafter, Bonnie went on to practice as a licensed cosmetologist in a local beauty salon that afforded her the luxury of purchasing her very own automobile, a pink Studebaker Lark. Bonnie loved going for long drives in the country listening to the tunes of Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson.
In 1965 Bonnie went to visit her brother, Jody, in Amarillo, Texas, and that’s when she met Raymond Bragg on a military base. Ray would tell his children it was love at first sight (for him). Their encounter was serendipitous, and a romance blossomed. The two were married on February 15, 1967, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Two years later, along with daughters Bonita and Marcy, the couple moved to California. Their family would continue to grow with the addition of three boys, Theodore (Teddy), Matthew, and Zachary.
Over the years, Bonnie would describe herself as a “fulltime domestic engineer” as she had the good fortune of being a stay-at-home mother. She raised her five children in the presence of God and relied on the power of prayer each day.
Once Bonnie’s children were all grown, Bonnie worked in retail management for nearly 20 years.
Bonnie’s first job outside the home was at a small greeting card store at a local shopping mall in San Diego, CA. Bonnie started as a part time associate and quickly found herself in a leadership role. Bonnie also found herself particularly fond of a greeting card company called Blue Mountain Arts, and being the writer that she was, submitted some of her poems to the company. Imagine her surprise when they reached back to her too and wanted to publish her work (and pay her for it). Bonnie enjoyed her time at the greeting card store and went on to write greeting card poems for Blue Mountain Arts.
After a year at the card store, a new opportunity presented itself. Bonnie was approached by a recruiter from a major retailer that was going to be opening a new store at a nearby mall. She accepted the leadership position as part of the opening store team for JC Penney. During her time at JC Penney,
Bonnie managed many different departments, one of which was catalog sales (the original way to shop online before Amazon). Bonnie managed the stand-alone catalog store, the only one for the entire city of San Diego (no small feat). Bonnie held this position for many years before she and her husband decided to return to the good life, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Once situated in Nebraska, Bonnie took her love of baking to another level and enrolled in a course to become a certified “Wilton Master Baker.” Bonnie put her artistic creativity to work at a local bakery, where she soon became known for her magnificent wedding and birthday cakes. Always busy with a waitlist, she continued to make time for her two greatest passions, writing & animals. Her love of animals knew no boundaries, particularly her love of cats. Bonnie wouldn’t harm the tiniest of creatures, often relocating spiders or insects that found their way indoors, back outside, telling her children that if she lost her way in life, she hoped someone would be so kind as to redirect her.
Once retired from the bakery, Bonnie got straight to work on her writing, and it began with bringing her beloved childhood diaries to life. Over the years, Bonnie would go on to write a series of books known as the “The Skissley Diaries”, detailing her life growing up on the farm. Nine books in all,
Bonnie’s lifelong dream of becoming a published author had come to fruition. Bonnie’s books can be found in both bookstores and online.
Bonnie fought bravely against dementia for many years. She cherished time spent with her children, ice cream treats, watering her potted flowers, watching Little House on the Prairie, Jack Hanna Animal Adventures, and Mork and Mindy. She found joy visiting nearby parks, eating fresh garden tomatoes, loving on her precious cats, country drives with her son, feeding the ducks and geese, and picnics with her daughters.
Bonnie is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Ethel Bachman, brothers Jody and John Bachman, daughter-in-law Amanda (Moore) Bragg, and loving husband, Ray.
Bonnie is survived by her sister, Rose Mary Baker, daughters Bonita Bragg, Marcy Knobbe (Patrick) son’s Ted Bragg, Matthew Bragg (Charlene), Zachary Bragg (Nicole), granddaughter, Justine (Bragg) Schnebel (Jeff), and grandson’s Patrick and Noah.
Celebration of Life is from noon – 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the Iron Horse Event Room, located at 728 Q Street, Lincoln, NE. Interment for the immediate family at the Waverly Cemetery at 3:30 p.m.
