Bonnie Lolley-Thompson, Feb 28, 1953 - May 22, 2026

On the 28th day of February in the year 1953, a starlet was born to Helen and AJ Cleary which they named Bonnie Cecilia Cleary. She would be the third ‘B’ in the line of nine children with names beginning with ‘B’. Bradley, Becky, Bonnie, Bruce, Bartholomew, Bobby, Brenda, Benny and Barry became bound together never knowing which of their match sticks was the shortest and would extinguish first.

Together they grew up in an expanding house on Seatonville Road. Bonnie’s beauty would become legendary, spanning decades of people charmed by her smile and free spirit. Her first love was singing and although she had dreams of bigger stages than church pews at St. Gabriel, she was a dutiful sister caring for the children and harvesting the tobacco farm in Simpsonville with her family. She graduated from Fern Creek High School and a year later while working as a secretary caught the eye of UofL surgical resident Dr David M Lolley when they both reached for the last pecan pie slice at a cafeteria. Many hearts were broken when Dr Lolley wed Bonnie two years later at St Athanasius. Their adventure together began in Dallas where the first daughter was born Sarah Cecilia Lolley in February 1976. Then a couple years later in the cold winter of the North, the second daughter Kathleen was born.

Their married life together would end in Madisonville, KY where Bonnie would go onto earn an Associate Degree and work as a bookkeeper for a trucking company. Together with just her daughters, they became the Lolley Girls, all born in February and each with their own love of creative expression. Mother sang and painted flowers on everything, Sarah became a drama queen, and Kathleen could illustrate her world on paper.

In 1987 she would move back to Louisville. All the while she found her footing again, she sang. She sang Living Christmas Tree performances, with the a cappella group the Sweet Adelaide’s, and in the choir at St Bartholomew’s. Her spirit was never broken if she could find a song to sing. My Fair Lady and Sound of Music filled the air when she cleaned her house or clung to her daughters.

Although there were many admirers that came to her door, there was one who stayed for the heavy lifting and understood her family the most. Robert Preston Thompson would say years later that he wasn’t ready for marriage when the two dated before the fateful pecan pie, but he was there when Bonnie returned home, a little shattered than before.

While raising two children on her own, she worked at Bacon’s (Dillard’s) Department store and a seemingly endless list of part time jobs. Bob along with her large family helped keep track of her girls. When Sarah and Kathleen finally took off for their own adventures, Bob and Bonnie were married in a patriotic union, a celebration that lasted for days. With her children gone, Bonnie and Bob began adopting furry children that would take center stage on Christmas letters, blankets and mugs.

At 50 years of age she began work at Walmart in the photo department and her interests in photography grew by immeasurable amounts. Her house became filled with albums categorized by years with elaborate decorations and golden puffy paint. Bonnie enthusiastically attended every baby shower, birthday celebration and wedding with at least three cameras around her neck. She wore five different necklaces and rings on every finger. If she was going to wear just one color it was going to be red. Bonnie, with her Mary Poppins purse and brightly colored socks, lit up the room as Nana to grandchildren Lyra, Luca, and Lazar Filip. For by the year 2016, her elder daughter had caught the eye of her own doctor and married Dr Patrick Filip. Kathleen, having moved back to Louisville, had become a wildly recognizable and popular local artist with little fur babies of her own by that time.

Somewhere here there would be a happy ending to the story. But alas dragons live in every story and for Bonnie and Bob, it was cancer. Three years ago Bob was pulled from his earthly armor from undiagnosed lung cancer. And now, on May 22nd Bonnie succumbed to a nine month battle with cancer to join the angels in the heavenly choir. No doubt her solo in the holy ensemble will be epic and echo her heart song she held on Earth.

Hers was a life filled with trying to capture the moment in an image or object that could hold the happiness or joy felt. So full became her life of holding on, that it was hard for her to let go of her mortal coil. Until finally, her breath became air surrounded by her sisters Brenda Balz and Becky Glasser, and daughters with her dog Duke at her side.

Along with her parents that preceded her, she no doubt was greeted by her brother Benjamin whose match was the shortest and dimmed not a year ago.

This tale ends with Bonnie’s last laugh, words penned on her famous Christmas letters;

“It’s, Ho Ho Ho time of year!….. again? So put on your trousers and zip your zipper….reach for the medicine cabinet and grab the bottle of aspirin! Blop! Blop! - Fizz Fizz!

It’s a time of merriment and joy! I wish all a Merry Christmas and a jumping, yelling, smacking Good New Year…..because past time is only a flicker of the imagination and one to remember. Remembering our goodbyes to the loved ones we have lost brings a flood of tears and emotions and an extra Our Father and Hail Mary to mind. So here’s to our “adjustments”!

To all of you Friends, Relatives, and Acquaintances I send my love….Snuggle up and squeeze the one you are with … you don’t know when they are not going to be there…

Pray for Peace & Good Will to All! Fill your house with a brief moment of warm snuggles…a kiss, a hug, a squeeze… or lots of all of them. God bless everyone.

Love to All, Bonnie Lolley Thompson.”

Bonnie is survived by daughter, Kathleen Lolley and daughter ,Sarah Lolley (Patrick Filip); grandchildren, Lyra, Luca and Lazar Filip; siblings, Bradley Cleary, Becky (Danny) Glasser, Bruce Joseph (Vicky) Cleary, Bartholomew (Teresa) Cleary, Robert (Vickie) Cleary, Brenda Maria (Steve) Balz, Barry (Janice) Cleary; sister-in-law, Renee Cleary; and a bastion of nephews and nieces and cousins who will miss her pixie dust. 

Her funeral is 10am Monday, June 1, 2026 at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 5505 Bardstown Road, Louisville, Kentucky with private burial. Visitation is 2-6pm Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Fern Creek Funeral Home, 5406 Bardstown Road, Louisville, Kentucky.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to the American Cancer Society or ASPCA.