Obituary of Bonnie M. Pacini

Bonnie M. Pacini passed away peacefully in her home on January 11, 2025. Her family, close friends, and the dedicated staff at Timbers Assisted Living steadfastly encircled her with loving care during her final weeks. Bonnie was born to Jesse and Esther Allen McDonald in Fort Benton, Montana on April 26, 1927. The family, growing to four in 1929 with the birth of Bonnie’s brother, Jess, lived in Highwood. Bonnie graduated from high school there and never lost her love for the Highwood community. She always attended reunions and kept up with the many families she knew in town. Drives from Great Falls to Highwood and then to Fort Benton were frequent events, even up to the last year of her life, as she delighted in revisiting old haunts and family landmarks. The social center of Bonnie’s life in Highwood was the Highwood Hotel, purchased and operated by her parents and grandmother for ten years. It was during those years that she burnished her artistry at the keyboard, played piano in a dance band, and mastered all the jazz and swing hits of the day. Bonnie never met a set of keys, whether on a piano or an organ, that she didn’t love. And those keys loved her back. In varied venues in Great Falls and environs, Bonnie’s capable fingers skillfully coaxed the beauty and joy from the music of popular tunes, vocal accompaniments, classical piano pieces, and hymns. She played for appreciative audiences well into her 90s, entertaining fellow residents at Iris Senior Living, or just a few weeks before her passing, family gathered in her living room for the Thanksgiving holiday. After graduating from Highwood High School in 1944, Bonnie headed west to attend school at Kinman Business University in Spokane. She brought her new bookkeeping skills back to Great Falls businesses, such as Scheffi’s Restaurant; Church, Harris, Johnson, and Williams Attorneys; and Page Werner Architects over the next several decades. It was music, though, that continued to shape her life’s path. Bonnie studied organ with local teacher and band leader Sid Willoughby and played piano and organ for a Great Falls vocal ensemble that he led. In that group, she met a charming Black Eagle native with a beautiful tenor voice, Bruno Pacini. Marriage followed in 1954 and with that, a life and musical partnership that lasted 46 years. Most importantly to them, they passed on their musical talents to two beloved and gifted daughters, Diana and Karen. Bonnie’s commitment to her music was complemented by her dedication to her family. She avidly pursued family history. She also orchestrated innumerable family events that included her parents, brother’s family, daughters, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins. To each, she brought thoughtfulness and care that made the gatherings full of music, memories, and fun. Her warmth, beautiful smile, hearty laugh, and welcoming friendliness easily extended to old friends and people new to her life, many of whom maintained connections to her that spanned miles and decades. Bruno Pacini passed away in January 2000. Once again, following the path that music showed her, Bonnie became reacquainted with an old friend and fellow musician from Fort Benton, Ken Morrow. The two of them married and, until Ken’s death, took great pleasure in playing 30s and 40s tunes at the Sunrise Bluffs in Fort Benton. In addition to Bruno and Ken, Bonnie was predeceased by her parents, brother Jess McDonald, sister-in-law Connie McDonald, and brother-in-law John Pacini. She leaves behind many special friends and a grieving family: Diana Pacini (Kevin Nally); Karen Christopher (Craig); four grandchildren, Jonathan (Julianne) Bauer, Sam and Jess Bauer, and Rebecca Libby; step-grandson Brandon Nally; two greatgrandchildren, Eliana and Adelyn Bauer; sister-in-law Iva Pacini; stepchildren Bonnie Cook, Janice Pedersen, and Mike Morrow and their spouses; numerous Allen cousins; and several devoted nieces and nephews. A memorial service for Bonnie will be held on July 12, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Great Falls. Contributions in her memory may be made to First Presbyterian Church in Great Falls or Great Falls Symphony Association. To share condolences with the family, please visit www.croxfordfuneralhome.com.

Obituary of Bonnie M. Pacini

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