Annetta Marie "Bonnie" Rygiel's Obituary
Annetta “Bonnie” Marie Williams was born October 2, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She passed away on May 18, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida.
Born to Ralph (Pittsburgh Police Officer) and Dorothy Williams, Bonnie had three siblings: David, Nancy, and Carol. Along with her husband Ronald “Ron” Matthew Rygiel, all have preceded her in death.
Bonnie graduated from Perry High School and worked at a hospital maternity ward. She met Ron, a U.S. Steel worker, and at age 18, they eloped to a rural North Carolina town where the wedding ceremony was conducted by a Justice of the Peace. Subsequently, they returned to Pittsburgh and had a more formal church wedding. They were married nearly 50 years before Ron departed this world in 2014 from natural causes.
They had two children, Darlene and Paul, and in the late nineteen sixties, the family moved to Miami, Florida, where Bonnie became a nursery schoolteacher, and Ron was employed in construction after graduating “apprentice of the year.” Soon afterwards, they moved to Homestead, Florida, where they resided for over 20 years. They enjoyed playing guitar and singing original spiritual and folk music in churches, coffee houses, and prisons, regularly receiving standing ovations. After Hurricane Andrew devastated their home in 1992, they moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to be closer to family and friends.
Bonnie is survived by Darlene and her husband Jerry, Paul and his wife Teresa and their two children, Sarah and Joshua, Sarah’s two children (Isabel and Elaina), and some of her and Ron’s extended families.
Bonnie’s greatest passions and pride were her “kids,” her extensive movie and music collections, and her dogs and bunnies. Bonnie was a loving, dedicated, and devoted mother who instilled morals in her children and sacrificed dearly to ensure their success. Her family and dearest friends Karla and Samantha knew her for her deep love of God and country, her intellect, her interest in politics, her sweet singing voice, and her beautiful smile.
Although Bonnie didn’t want to be spotlighted in a memorial service, she will be remembered, loved, and honored whenever we gather, and always. She is now in the loving arms of Jesus where we will someday reunite and rejoice with her for all eternity.
Psalm 115:1
“Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.”
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