TROY – Bonnie M. Woellner, of Troy, passed away Aug. 11, 2023. She was born Jan. 22, 1956, in Oakland, Calif., daughter of Patricia Varrelmann and Charles Woellner, and moved soon afterward with her mother to New Rochelle, N.Y., where she grew up.

As a teenager, Bonnie, her mother, and three brothers joined her grandparents, Frank and Caroline Varrelmann, in Pittsfield. Bonnie graduated from Maine Central Institute in 1974 and worked as assistant administrator at Sebasticook Valley Hospital in the mid1970s. She lived in Burnham and cared for her son, Lucas Murdock, and daughter, Jenna Murdock (later Reese), and was a co-founder of the Friends of Lake Winnecook.

She was a member of administrative staff at Unity College and at Dr. Harry Aldrich’s medical office in Unity through the 1980s. Her son Jackson Wilde was born to her and her second husband, Dana Wilde, in 1991. She earned an associate degree in liberal studies at Unity College and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English at the University of Maine in Orono, where she taught composition as a graduate assistant. She also taught composition and directed the writing program at the American University in Bulgaria, living for two years in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, and traveling widely in southern Europe. When the family returned to their home in Troy in 1997, she worked for a year as a technical writer for Acheron Engineering in Newport, and then taught English at Mount View High School in Thorndike, retiring after 20 years. She took a semester’s sabbatical in 2001 to teach English and film studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Along the way she knitted scores of socks, sweaters and babies’ garments and for about a decade ran Cherry May, a part-time jewelry-making operation. She loved to play bingo and slot machines with her brother John. She became a knowledgeable Boston Celtics fan; her recent favorite players were Marcus Smart, Rob Williams and Payton Pritchard because “they never give up.” She was well-known for her razor-sharp wit, insightful intelligence and ability to detect BS on contact, which endeared her to many of her teaching colleagues but few school administrators. She detested the ethical voids of prominent politicians.

In the last weeks of her life she was deeply touched by the many messages from former students. The following words from one of those students capture the impact she had as a teacher and human being on apparently a great many students: “Your acceptance of me when I was in high school changed my entire life. I didn’t come from a family that was accepting of anyone being different from them and I had a very complicated relationship with my mom because I wasn’t straight. It was lonely. Your love and acceptance for me healed me in ways I’ll never ever forget. I couldn’t have been my authentic self without your wisdom and support and I wouldn’t be my authentic self today without the guidance you gave me back then. I’m forever grateful.” Not just a handful, but many thoughtful messages expressed similar feelings.

Bonnie was predeceased by her grandparents, Frank and Caroline Varrelmann; her mother, Patricia (Varrelmann) Hazatone, of Hayward, Calif., father, Charles Woellner, of North Carolina; daughter, Jenna (Murdock) Reese; and brother, Christopher Hazatone, of Burbank, Calif.

She is survived by her husband, Dana Wilde, of Troy; sons Jackson Wilde, of Augusta, and Lucas Murdock, of Burnham; brothers John Hazatone, of Palm Springs, Calif., and Stefan Hazatone, of Hayward, Calif.; grandchildren Silas Wilde, of Augusta, Zachary Murdock, of Bowdoinham, Frank Reese, of Bowdoinham, Ella Murdock, of Belfast, and Michael Murdock, of Belfast; and great-grandson, Sebastian Murdock, of Belfast.

No public memorial service is planned.

The recent outpouring of generosity to Bonnie and her family has been deeply humbling, and profoundly appreciated.

To commemorate Bonnie’s good spirit, please make a donation to a food bank, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, or any worthy charity in her name.

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