Bonnie Joan Naef (née Vragel) passed away peacefully at her home in Parkville, MD on Friday, March 28, 2025.  She was 78 years old.  Her vibrant life was cut short by scleroderma-related pulmonary arterial hypertension, which was exacerbated by a case of RSV.  She was predeceased by her beloved husband Walter Paul Naef, Jr.

Bonnie is survived by her daughter Michelle Claire Naef and son-in-law Michael S. Ham of Memphis, TN, and daughter Kirsten Elizabeth Lavin and son-in-law Shaun P. Lavin of Towson, MD. Her five grandchildren aka "the Fab Five" – Sydney (22), Colin (20), Zoe (17), Samuel (15) and Noah(14)  - were the joy of her life.

Bonnie was born on July 31, 1946 in Rochester, New York to Jerome Donald Vragel and Dorothy Clara (née Albrecht), an executive at RCA and a violist with a degree from Eastman Conservatory respectively  The family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where Bonnie spent much of her childhood, eventually graduating from Plymouth High School at which time Bonnie's parents, and young brother James David, relocated to Cranbury, New Jersey.  Thus began Bonnie's nomadic life.

After a brief stint at Lycoming College, she found her way to Adelphi University where she became a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and made lifelong friends.  During these formative years, Bonnie spent more than a year in Spain, studying and working in Barcelona, partying in Madrid, and generally having an amazing time traveling around Europe with her good friend Donna.

Back at Adelphi, she became active in the student government association where she met her future husband, Walter.  Together, they booked acts like Simon and Garfunkel and Jefferson Airplane.  They were married shortly after their joint graduation on June 14, 1969.  A honeymoon to the US Virgin Islands began their next adventure.

On St. Croix, they extended their honeymoon stay to house-sit for a new friend.  While Bonnie had a post-graduation position as a buyer at A&S Department Stores, the idea of commuting on the LIRR (and changing trains at Jamaica) was less than appealing, so the young couple "sold all their wedding presents and got out of Dodge."  Bonnie began her teaching career at the Good Hope School on St. Croix and both of her daughters were born on the island. She advocated for women's and children's health issues on the island by partnering with her OBGYN to introduce the Lamaze method and becoming a La Leche League leader.   To supplement her teaching income, and to keep busy while her seafaring husband was away for work, she honed her artistic skills creating a series of thumbkin animal note cards and hand-blown decorated Christmas eggs.

These small treasures were packed carefully, along with the island spirit, and followed the family when they moved to Baltimore for Walter's employment at the Curtis Bay/ Moran Towing Corporation.  Bonnie continued her education career working as teacher of ESOL and then Spanish in Baltimore County at many middle and high schools, and in Harford County at Bel Air High School and Harford Vo-Tech. She continued to use her artistic talents in the classroom, making her own illustrated dittos of various foreign vocabulary words and using her boundless energy to make her class time the highlight of many students' days. Students came back to visit her long after their college graduations to acknowledge her impact on their lives.  After earning a master's degree from College of Norte Dame, MD, Bonnie worked at the Maryland State Department of Education as one of the lead teacher mentors for the ESL and foreign language program.

Retirement brought the couple back to their life on the water, sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.  The sailboats grew as the grandchildren came along, although they found the real entertainment through their sailing friends in the NC3 Northern Chesapeake Sailing community. Walter's cancer diagnosis in 2014, kept their adventures more local, but also focused their aspirations to live each moment to the fullest.

Bonnie was an avid caregiver to him during his nearly decade-long illness.  She became active in the Chesapeake Cancer Alliance and as a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Committee of the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center.  Ever the volunteer, Bonnie would wrap gifts at the Harford Mall, make bracelets to sell, or craft various holiday decorations for their Festival of Trees.

Along with the various causes she supported, Bonnie gave her boundless energy to her family and grandchildren, to whom she was known as Oma.  She was the ultimate cheerleader for their lives and was generous in her time and attention to their interests.  Her enthusiasm for nearly everything was a source of joy for the family.

Her tiny frame concealed a large, vivacious, and strong person at the core.  Her family remains immensely proud of her accomplishments as an educator, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to all.  She will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Chesapeake Cancer Alliance's Cancer LifeNet programs or the Pulmonary Hypertension program at Johns Hopkins.  A celebration of life will be held at a later date.  In the meantime, please get vaccinated to help protect others with underlying health conditions.