Bonnie Wilson; Retired Switchboard Operator

Bonnie Gail Wilson, a retired switchboard operator, died Tuesday at St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 69.

She was born Sept. 13, 1931, in Havana, Ill. She spent her childhood on a farm near Atterberry, Ill., and graduated from Petersburg Harris High School in 1949.

In 1952, she married Franklin E. Wilson, Jr. in Petersburg, Ill. The couple moved to Camarillo in the mid-1960s.

She worked at St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo and St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard for 17 years as a switchboard operator, retiring in 1998.

Wilson was a member of Camarillo United Methodist Church. Family members and friends enjoyed her sense of humor and quick wit.

In addition to her husband of 48 years, she is survived by daughters Kathryn Ferguson and Georgina Roca; a son, Mitchell Wilson; a sister, Joan Klingbeil; and eight grandchildren. Her parents and two brothers, George Ortman and Robert Ortman, preceded her in death.

A memorial service is scheduled at 11 a.m. today at United Methodist Church in Camarillo.

Donations in Wilson’s memory may be made to the International Myeloma Foundation, 12650 Riverside Drive, Suite 206, North Hollywood, CA 91607 or the American Cancer Society.

Arrangements are under the direction of Pierce Bros. Valley Oaks Mortuary, Westlake Village.

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Ventura County obituaries are compiled by Linda Herron. They are published free of charge as a public service to readers, based on information provided by mortuaries.