Bonnie Gades

Bonnie Gay (Tuttle) Gades was born June 20, 1952 to Clarence and Vivian (Eblen) Tuttle in Alexandria, MN. She grew up in the Forada area, farming and helping her sister Robin to raise their baby brothers, Marty and Monty. She also assisted her Grandmother in hosting many barn dances.

Bonnie attended Jefferson Senior High School in Alexandria where she once set a school track record for the One-mile, and did it barefoot. A record that stood for more than 40 years. She graduated in June 1970.

After high school, Bonnie started a family and was blessed with two sons, Dobbey and Tony. Bonnie moved to Benson, MN where she was a painter at Loral. While living in Benson, she met her husband Kevin. They were united in marriage June 7th, 1980 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. To this union, they were blessed with three more children; Corey, Brittany and Brady.

In 1985, Bonnie and her family moved to the Osakis area. She waitressed for many years at the City Cafe in Osakis. She often sent her kids with caramel rolls before or after school. She was also part-time help as bartender and waitress at the VFW and cabin attendant at Black’s Resort. Bonnie was a “First 5” employee of Wal-mart in Alexandria in 1991. She worked in many departments, from service desk to garden center to pharmacy. She retired in 2017.

Family was extremely important to her. Bonnie was a supportive and protective mother; her children always knew how proud she was of them. Her children have fond memories of bowling together and watching in amazement as she cooked and baked without having to measure ingredients. Bonnie enjoyed quilting, gardening, making floral arrangements and many other things involving crafts. Around the holidays, the Gades household could have been mistaken for the North Pole as Bonnie had it thoroughly decorated and lit up with the Christmas spirit. Bonnie loved her girls trips to Las Vegas, weekly trips to the casino for the freebies, quilting trips, exchanging Christmas cookies, cooking, and was known for her lasagna. Bonnie judged no one, and would go to great lengths to help and support anyone in need. She was the glue that held her large family together. She will be dearly missed by all.

Bonnie Gades of Alexandria, MN, died on Sunday, April 24, 2022, in St. Cloud Hospital at the age of 69. She is survived by her husband, Kevin; children, Dobbey (April) Johnson, Tony (Nikki) Johnson, Corey (Jessi) Gades, Brittany (Jon) Gades, Brady (Jess) Gades; grandchildren, Megen (RJ), Scott (Kylie), Taylor (Whitney), Ariana, Kylee, Heather (Eric), Katerina, Keegan, Emily, Madison, Willow, Bentley “Bubby”, KayLee, Remington, Delilah; great-grandchildren, Hadlee, and Easton; siblings, Robin (Richard) Schumacher, Marty (Kim) Tuttle, and Monty Tuttle; uncle, Roger (Jane) Eblen; aunt, Arlys Tuttle; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws. She is preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Vivian Tuttle.

Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m., with a prayer service at 4 p.m., Thursday, April 28, at Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. Visitation will continue from 10-11 a.m., followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m., Friday, April 29, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Garfield, MN. Burial will be in St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery.