Lisa Bonarski

Lisa Bonarski, age 55, of Lawton died on Saturday, December 29, 2018. She was born on May 23, 1963 in Atwater, California, the daughter of Jerry and Verna (Tokarchick) Masten and has lived most of her life in the Paw Paw/Lawton area. She attended Paw Paw High School where she excelled in the band, holding first chair in various woodwind instruments. Lisa was artistic, funny, and had a unique way of making others smile and bringing them together. She was everyone’s big sister and had a lot of younger friends that loved her. After graduating from Paw Paw High School in 1981, she got a job as a cook at the Hope Nursing Home and later worked at Elias Brothers and for then for several years at the Big T Restaurant where she found a home with her co-workers and patrons. Known as a people person she excelled at helping people and caring for the elderly. Some of her passions were cooking, gardening, her pets and she was a longtime fan of the Green Bay Packers and Notre Dame Football.

Members of her family include her step father, Robert Bonarski; 2 sisters: Robin Reeves of Greenville SC and Rigina and her husband Mark Monk of Mattawan; life companion, Tony Bradshaw; several aunts, uncles and cousins.

It was Lisa's desire not to have a formal funeral service but a gathering to celebrate her life. Friends and family will gather to share stories, laughter and tears at place where Lisa felt so comfortable, the Big T Restaurant in Lawton on Monday, January 7, from 2-5 pm.

Please visit Lisa’s personal web page at www.BetzlerFuneralHome.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign her online guestbook. Memorial donations may be made to Al- Van Humane Society or a charity of your choice.

There are many words that could describe her but to sum up the “real Lisa”: she was the life of the party, she had a heart of gold and was generous beyond a fault.