Bonnie June Garlick

Bonnie June Garlick, age 85, of Blue Earth, died Thursday afternoon, March 2, 2017 at Parkview Care Center in Wells, Minnesota following an illness with influenza.Services will take place at Patton Funeral Home, 400 E. 14th St. in Blue Earth. The visitation service will be held Friday, March 10th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM and one hour prior to the memorial service. The memorial service will be held Saturday, March 11th beginning at 10:00 AM, with lunch to follow. The service will be officiated by Allen Burnham, former minister of Horicon Church of Christ, Truman. Burial will be held at the Horicon Cemetery, rural Truman, MN at 1:00 PM.Bonnie was born June 13, 1931, in Jackson, MN, the daughter of Amil and Ruth (Lucas) Jensen. Bonnie grew up living on farms in Iowa (just across the MN border) up until 1937 and later near Ceylon. She attended country school, Petersburg Consolidated School and Ceylon Public School. In 1948, Bonnie''s senior year of high school, her family purchased a farm in Martin County near rural Truman. When the family moved, Bonnie stayed behind, living with one of her school teachers, so she could finish her 12th grade year. Upon her graduation from Ceylon High School Bonnie rejoined the family on the newly purchased farm. Bonnie was bashful in her early years so her father helped her obtain her first job as a waitress at the Bowlmor in Fairmont from 1948 to 1949. At this time the Bowlmor was located on North North Avenue and it was here where she met George. One day while walking home after completing her shift a handsome young man followed her, offering a ride home. His approach was an interesting one, stopping his car in front of Bonnie, blocking her walking path. He insisted on giving her a ride home and was surprised when she pointed to her home located a block down, just across the street. Even so, he insisted on giving her a ride home and then it was Bonnie''s turn to be surprised when he drove right past her home. After a brief, somewhat nerve-wracking, joy ride he did return her safely home and the rest is history. In 1949 she left the Bowlmor to work for The Sweet Shop, also in Fairmont, where she continued to gain confidence and flourish. She enjoyed each job she held and made lifelong friends at each one. Bonnie''s father became frustrated with her missing too many Sunday morning church services so he found her a job closer to home as a bank teller at the Northrop Bank. Bonnie had a close relationship with her father so she did as he requested and moved home to begin working at the bank. After a six year courtship Bonnie married George Washington Garlick on June 13, 1954, which was Bonnie''s 23rd birthday. They were wed at Horicon Church of Christ near Truman, where they both ended up being members for over 50 years. They were blessed with four children, Marilyn, Douglas, Julie and Jonathan. Their first home was outside of Northrop and in 1958 they moved to Fairmont into a home built by her husband. After the first two children were born, Bonnie worked six years waitressing at Laurel''s in Fairmont until she was expecting her third child. During these years she also took care of the bookkeeping for her husbands construction company. Then in 1970, just prior to the birth of their fourth child, George and Bonnie moved to Blue Earth and purchased a water treatment business which in the latter years they renamed "Garlick''s Water Conditioning". There Bonnie took care of the company''s bookkeeping and payroll while George handled the water treatment aspect of the business.Bonnie is survived by her daughter, Marilyn (Marvin) Oswald, and son, Douglas (Susan) Garlick, all of Blue Earth; daughter, Julie (Ted) McKinney, Eagan; son, Jonathan Garlick, Faribault; eight grandchildren, Michelle Oswald; Mark Oswald; Marcia (Nick) Lee; April (Chris) Kruse; Roscoe (Danielle) Garlick; Charles (Jocelyn) Garlick; Noelle McKinney and Willow McKinney; five great-grandchildren, Ruby; Jonas; Brayden; Eloise and Della; two step great-grandchildren, Taylor and Rayann; sisters-in-law, Arlene Ellis; Dorothy Saxton and Joyce Garlick; special cousin, Bob (Bonnie) Lucas; many nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, George Garlick; three brothers & two sisters-in-law, Everett (Ivadell) Jensen; Francis (Wynona) Jensen; Raymond Jensen; sister & brother-in-law, Shirley (Donald) Evans; infant granddaughter, Naomi June McKinney; father and mother-in-law, Roscoe & Gertrude Garlick; brothers-in-law & sister-in-law; Oliver (Marvetta) Garlick, George Ellis, Lyle Saxton, and half brother-in-law Harold Griffith.Web tributes may be left at www.pattonfh.com