Bonnie Lynn Burhenne Terry, 75, of Lewisville, N.C., formerly of New Suffolk, N.Y., peacefully passed away Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Burton and Ruth Burhenne; a son, Frank Olsen; and her soulmate, Mark Terry. She is survived by her six children, Elaine Olsen, Janet Avery (Chris), Laurie Simonds (Todd), Daniel “Burt” Olsen (Tammy), Tracy Martinez (Pedro) and Nikki Terry (Tom), and her honorary son, Will Lohn (Tracy); 19 grandchildren, Stacey (David), Erin, Tienna, Kyle, Maria, Matthew, Benjamin, Kolby, Essence, Dylan (Aleeyah), Chris, Nick, Tommy (Jenilea), Hayley (Brad), Jesse (Brittany), Evelyn, Nathan, Savannah and Cheyenne; 11 great-grandchildren, Alexander, Samuel, Eli, Jullian, Aubrey, Jason, Izzy, Belle, Jesse Jr., Luna and Brendan; and her dear friend Pat Hinton.
Bonnie grew up in New York City and later moved to the North Fork of Long Island, where she raised her family. She was one of the first female EMTs for Peconic Bay Ambulance Company. Together with her then husband Mark Terry, she successfully owned and operated Green Acres Lawn Care and Sensational Sounds DJ Service, as well as managed Mark’s successful campaign for president of the New Suffolk school board. After her career as an EMT she went into private duty hospice care, where she made many lifelong friends.
Bonnie was always a strong, brave and formidable woman. She was a two-time breast cancer warrior. She always wanted a large family and was eternally proud of her children and grandchildren. She was a loving, caring and devoted mother and grandmother. Her sarcastic, quick wit and hearty laugh will be greatly missed, as will her sage advice.
In keeping with her wishes, she will be cremated and her ashes returned to the waters of her home in New Suffolk.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor and memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to your local animal rescue.
This is a paid notice.