Obituary of Bonnie Jean Welhaven

Bonnie Jean Welhaven, age 81, passed away peacefully in her sleep in the home of her daughter Tracy on March 25, 2025. Bonnie was born in Duluth, MN, on 12/11/1943, to parents Douglas and Ruth Dass.

She was raised in Kelsey, MN, and attended and graduated from Cotton High School. Her working years were spent as the Parent Involvement Coordinator at Denfeld High School, Duluth Parks Rec Department with the after-school program at Merritt Park, Woodland Hills, and she was a veterinarian technician at several of the local vet clinics in the Duluth and Superior area. She was a neighborhood mom to many of the kids in the West Duluth neighborhood and to her children’s friends, with some of them calling her mom. Bonnie was a sports mom chasing her kids in the many sports they participated in and was kicked out of several of her son’s hockey games due to yelling inappropriate comments at the refs. She loved her MN Wild Hockey, and a highlight of her life was attending a Wild game that she didn’t think she would ever accomplish. She loved tending to her flower gardens and, in her later years, spent many hours trying to tell Tracy what to do with her flower garden. She loved to have fun and had a wild streak in her younger years. She was a fur mom to several dogs over the years and loved spending time with her fur grandbabies. One of her best accomplishments later in life was beating breast cancer at 80.

Bonnie was proceeded in death by her parents Ruth and Douglas Dass, son Jeffrey Dickman, Brother Melvin and her significant other Donald Williams.

Bonnie is survived by her daughter Tracy Welhaven of Duluth, MN, daughter Lori (Alex) Ivanovic of Big Fork, MN and Son Chris (Kim) Welhaven and cousins Barb and Larry Lohman, grandchildren Cory, Ashely and Allen. Great Grandchildren Aiden, Carli, Joey, Olivia and Avery and several nieces and nephews.

There will be a Memorial Service on Saturday, April 12 at 3:00 pm with a visitation one hour prior at the Cremation Society of MN, 4100 Grand Ave., Duluth.