Lavonnie Amelia Irene Hadden Rothfeld, 84, died on November 1, 2017 in Brick, New Jersey.
Lavonnie, who was better known as, and preferred to be called "Bonnie," was a Jersey girl because of the "no-nonsense" that the label implies. Add to that her pure Northern Ireland roots, and those who knew and loved her knew her to be dignified with a tinge of feisty; graceful, but impatient with foolishness, and loving without pause.
She was the daughter of Northern Ireland immigrants, who eventually settled in Elizabeth, where Bonnie grew up with her two brothers, James and Edward.
She was married to her husband, Herb, in Irvington. They moved to Newark. She and Herb bought their first home in South Plainfield. They headed south a few years later and raised their three children in Ocean Township. Divorced and on her own in her 40s, Bonnie bought her own home in Brick, and then eventually moved to Wall Township, where she lived for decades.
She worked in the insurance industry, but it was her job with Flori Roberts Cosmetics that made her most proud. She worked her way up to Export Administrator, a job that allowed her to travel to London and to live in Chicago.
But what Bonnie loved best was a good mystery novel, the "Thin Man" movies, game shows, crossword puzzles, and shopping. And above all, her children and her grandchildren.
Bonnie was pre-deceased by her brother, Edward, her son, Gerry, and her ex-husband, Herb.
She is survived by her daughter, Lois DeSocio, of Maplewood, her son Paul Rothfeld, of Wall Township, and her four grandchildren, Alec, Charlie, Max and Jake.
A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, November 18, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the O'Brien Funeral Home, Rt. 35, Wall, New Jersey.