Bonnie (Edith) Wren

Bonnie Wren passed away on July 29, 2020 from complications owing to heart disease. She was born Edith Lueders Maguire, but was always known to all who loved her as Bonnie. She is survived by her daughter, Edith Lueders Gallagher (Edie), her son, Stephen James Gallagher (Stevie), their spouses Peter Fields and Tina Miller (respectively) and their children, Bonnie’s beloved grandchildren: Griffin Gallagher Fields, Edith Maguire Fields (Maggie), Henry K. Gallagher and Theodore A. Gallagher. She is also survived by her sisters Suzanne Maguire and Deborah Meehan, her brothers Steve Maguire and Barrie Maguire, her first husband Stephen P. Gallagher and many nieces, nephews and their children and grandchildren. She was pre- deceased by her second husband, John Wren. In addition to her loving family, Bonnie will be missed by a large family of friends from across Berks county, Pennsylvania, the US and the world. Bonnie received a BA from Rosemont College in English and throughout her life Bonnie worked at many different kinds of jobs from City Historian in Schenectady NY to Executive Assistant for a toy design company in Santa Barbara CA. She had an incredible wanderlust and lived in many places like Philadelphia, PA, Maui, HI, West Hollywood, CA, and Albuquerque, NM. She came home to Berks Co in 2000 to help care for her mother and has lived at “the farm” ever since. Wherever she lived, Bonnie made many friends. Her gracious, sweet and fun-loving personality pulled people to her like a magnet. She was quick to laugh, she had a great sense of humor and she was easy to talk to. Bonnie had the gift of always seeing the best in people and she was generous, supportive and helpful to her friends and her community. She was a deeply spiritual person and loved bonding with people. She was smart, well-informed and well-read. She was not-quite-political (she didn’t want to fight!) but always was ready to engage with wit and humor. She also bragged unabashedly about her beautiful kids and grandkids! But what many will remember Bonnie for the most was her incredible talent. She was a singer and a songwriter, she was an artist and a poet, a painter and a potter. Wherever she lived she engaged in the community through her art, forging life long friendships along the way. She was even a tai-chi master! She was always working on something. Early in her life it was black and white photography, then she began painting. Later she could be found writing lyrics (on napkins or scraps of paper or in tattered notebooks) or walking around “the farm” collecting found objects to include in her mixed-media pieces, or creating or working as a volunteer at the local pottery studio. Bonnie had a sunshine quality that would brighten and warm all whom encountered her. She was admired by all for her vast and diverse talents. She lived a full and rich life to the very end, continuing her music and art and her loving friendships. She will be missed. There will be no formal gathering for Bonnie at this time. A celebration of Bonnie’s life is tentatively planned for July 31, 2021 at “the farm”, when all can come together safely and sing her praises, both literally and figuratively.