LACONIA --- Sonya Ann Bodie Bomster of Taylor Community in Laconia, NH, died peacefully in her ninetieth year on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Her immediate family was in attendance for her last several days.
Born September 24, 1934, in New Haven, CT, she was the daughter of Dr. William J. and Rebecca A. Bodie of Branford, CT. She graduated from Branford High School in 1952, where she had been a field hockey player and an avid student of Latin and of the sciences. She earned an associate degree from then-Quinnipiac College, in Hamden, CT, which she applied in her later work as a medical laboratory technician.
She married her childhood friend and high school sweetheart John F. Bomster, also of Branford, in 1954. Together, they had five children in a family that now includes 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Over the years, she and her husband lived in Branford and Clinton, CT.; East Goshen, PA.; Barrington, RI; and in Ashland and Alexandria, NH. After her husband’s death in 2012, Mrs. Bomster moved to Taylor Community, where she was very social and involved, a committed knitting community member and a public speaker at community events.
She was known for her generosity of spirit, her positive outlook, and her sense of humor. A committed volunteer throughout her life, Mrs. Bomster was an active parishioner in Roman Catholic parishes wherever she lived, as a choir member, lector, and liturgist. She was a Girl Scout leader and a frequent volunteer in the Barrington, RI, public schools among others. True to her Civil Rights roots, she believed that all students deserved a public school education and worked in many capacities, including helping students with intellectual disabilities learn to swim prior to laws being passed which demanded that schools allow such students to attend. She read for the blind through Insight in Rhode Island, and worked as a docent with the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness, NH.
Her political activities over the years included her work at the polls, as a southern Connecticut campaign coordinator for U.S. Sen. Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential campaign, and through her tart commentary during presidential State of the Union addresses, regardless of party affiliation.
Sonya was a voracious reader, especially of chick lit, well before it was recognized as a genre. A lover of cats and dogs, she opened her home to countless pets, rescues and strays (both animal and human). The last of these was her beloved cat Simba. She and late husband John have left a legacy of opening their home, hearts, and counsel to all who encountered them. An early ally, her nonjudgmental acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community was much appreciated.
She was an accomplished sailor and downhill skier; when her husband, John took up horse riding in his 60s, she assisted him in his equestrian and dressage competitions. She was a competitive and energetic Scrabble player. She loved family gatherings and hosting events for family and friends at her home, typically with a glass of bubbly nearby. Among her many talents as a full-time mother, her baking was famous in the family; she created entire landscapes and three-dimensional worlds for her children's birthdays every year.
Sonya was preceded in death by her husband, John Bomster; brother, William Bodie; and son-in-law, Christopher Perkins. She is survived by five children: Mark, of Baltimore, MD, and his wife Cynthia; Matthew and his wife Lucia, of Providence, RI; Johannah, of MN; Rebecca, of Biddeford, ME; and Judith, of Manchester, NH; her 12 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and those not yet born who will carry on her legacy.
In true Bomster fashion, services will be held at a date and location yet to be determined.
Donations in Sonya’s name may be made to either of the following organizations, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, 23 Science Center Road, Holderness, NH 03245, or at https://www.nhnature.org/, or the Belknap House 200 Court Street, Laconia, NH 03246, or at https://www.belknaphouse.org/donate.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.