Bonita "Bonnie" Bauder Tillman

It is with profound sadness that the family of Bonita “Bonnie” Bauder Tillman announces her passing on October 5, 2026, at the age of 94. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family.

Bonnie grew up in Naperville, IL. She loved playing outside, swimming at “The Quarry,” and playing sports, joined on these adventures by her close group of friends, whom she always called “Helene, Bernice, Nancy, and me.”

Bonnie graduated from Naperville High School in 1949. While in school, Bonnie was a cheerleader, played drums in the marching band, and played both basketball and baseball.

After graduating, Bonnie began her career at Kroehler Manufacturing Company in Naperville, IL, where she was secretary to the vice president. Ever sporty, she was paid to play both basketball and baseball on sponsored teams in her spare time.

While at Kroehler, Bonnie met and began dating Joseph “Joe” Tillman when he joined the company as a sales representative. They married on June 30, 1956, in Aurora, IL, where they lived briefly before Kroehler transferred Joe to Los Angeles.

In California, Bonnie worked as an executive secretary at Thompson Ramo Wooldridge (TRW) in the defense industry, where she had top-secret clearance and regularly had to type mathematical formulas, including exponents, using a manual typewriter.

Following another transfer to Ohio, Bonnie continued secretarial work before leaving the workforce to raise their two children, Peter and Mary. While in Ohio, Bonnie and Joe became certified scuba divers and adored this hobby for the rest of their lives.

After a brief transfer to Madison, Connecticut, where Bonnie loved being close to the beach, the family moved to Roswell, GA, in 1975. Here they stayed put, enjoying the warm weather in the South.

Bonnie loved plants and animals. She adeptly cared for her houseplants and outdoor flowers. She taught the family cat to sit and “speak” on command. She loved to feed and watch the birds in her backyard while outwitting the squirrels.

Bonnie was extremely patriotic, valuing the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces to make our freedom possible. One of her favorite memories was accompanying Joe, a Korean War Navy veteran, on an Honor Air flight to Washington, D.C. She enjoyed cheering on runners in her red, white, and blue at the Peachtree Road Race and, of course, always had little flag toothpicks in her trademark chocolate sheet cake on that day.

Bonnie loved puzzles of all kinds, especially jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and the fun challenge of clever banter with Joe. Their senses of humor made their relationship special.

Bonnie loved and served her family well. She was a fun mother and grandmother, leading treks through the woods, shooting baskets in the driveway, and picking kids up from practice with ice cream cones in a cooler. She even went sledding with her granddaughter at age 79!

Over the years, Bonnie and Joe developed close friendships with their neighbors. Bonnie cherished her friendships with these women, many of whom have since moved elsewhere. Nevertheless, she enjoyed keeping in touch and hearing about their lives and families.

Bonnie was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, Joseph Tillman of Roswell, GA; her father, Glenn Bauder of Naperville, IL; her mother, Lila Bauder of Denver, CO; and her brother, Warren Bauder of Denver, CO.

Bonnie is survived by her son, Peter Tillman of Dawsonville, GA; her daughter, Mary Garrison (Michael) of Atlanta, GA; her granddaughter, Leah Garrison of Atlanta, GA; her brother, Kenneth Bauder of Montgomery, IL; and multiple nieces and nephews.

There will be a family-only service in Wisconsin at a later time.

Those wishing to remember Bonnie with a memorial donation may consider the Wounded Warrior Project, in honor of her patriotism, or the Atlanta Humane Society, in honor of her love for animals.