Obituary for LaVonne M. "Bonnie" Tart

She was born January 28, 1941, in Sparta, Wis., to Donald and Eleanor (Kastenschmidt) Elsen. Bonnie was a 1959 graduate of Bangor High School. She then attended secretarial school in Minneapolis, Minn.; where upon completion, she was hired at The Pentagon. She was employed in the Defense Department in Defense Procurement from January 1960 until her retirement in February of 1996.

It was during her time at The Pentagon that Bonnie met Freemon “Van” Tart and they married on July 13, 1966, in Washington D.C.

In the summer of 1996, Bonnie and her family moved back to her hometown of Bangor, Wis.

She enjoyed reading, being a Red Hatter, and playing mahjong. Bonnie will be remembered as a wonderful lady and will be deeply missed by her family.

Survivors include her husband, Freemon; son, Donald (Toni) Tart; three grandchildren, Kodi, Karlee, and Kasey; one great-grandson, Sebastian; her sister, Dorothy (R.C. “Curley”) Tenner; brothers, John (Ruth) Elsen and Jim (Cindy) Elsen; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents and her nephew, Tyler Elsen.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 2, 2023, at St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish, 210 W. Hamlin St., West Salem. Msgr. Jeffrey Burrill will celebrate the Mass. Burial will follow in Burns Cemetery, rural Bangor. A visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m., until the time of Mass, Saturday, at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Mayo Clinic Health System, Franciscan Healthcare, Hospice Program or the Bangor Alumni Scholarship Program.

Online condolences may be offered on this site.