Bonnie was born in Bethesda, MD in 1967. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in 1989, and from Kellogg at Northwestern University with an MBA in 1995. She worked in advertising, consulting, and then for Chase H&Q, where she was named a Wall Street Journal All-Star Equities Analyst.  She was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia in 2003, and passed away in 2007, 2 weeks after her 40th birthday, following three bouts, two remissions, and two relapses, chemo, radiation, and a stem-cell umbilical chord transplant during her extended four-year battle.  Her daughters, Isabel and Devon, were 6 and 4 years old, respectively, at the time of her passing.

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Here is a partial list of the things that inspire us about Bonnie and characterize who she was, …as recounted by husband, Mike Tonneson, at her Memorial Service:
"unflappable poise, even under pressure; pure grace; unrelenting strength; natural beauty and radiance; warm and reassuring smile; razor-sharp intellect; analytical prowess; single-minded focus and determination; unwavering friendship; tour-de-force motherhood; always in control; fearless and self-assured about doing it her way; boundless courage even in the face of imminent death; un-paralleled sense of style; infectious sense of fun, humor, adventure and bias for seizing the day, every day; stunning creativity and artistic flare; light-up-the-room presence; unabashed confidence and bluntness, uniquely coupled with humility and true sensitivity; and complete selflessness for those she loved"                                        -Michael C Tonneson August 2007