Bonnie Ballard Fleming
Bonnie Ballard Fleming, 98, of Simpsonville, widow of Glenn R. Fleming, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, July 26, 2020.
Born in Simpsonville, she was a daughter of the late James E. & Evilee Martha Thomason Ballard.
Mrs. Fleming is survived by her son, Michael Glenn Fleming and his wife, Katherine, of Simpsonville; her daughter, Barbara Lee Higdon also of Simpsonville; grandchildren, Angela Tollison (Kevin), Michael Lucas (Grace), and Aaron Lucas (Nancy); and five great-grandchildren, Matthew Tollison, Whitney Tollison, Glenn Tollison, Viola Lucas, and Hunter Ellis Lucas.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, James Ballard, Jr. and W. Riley Ballard; and one sister, Katherine Gault.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 2:00 PM at Clear Springs Baptist Church with Pastor David Shiflet officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the church starting at 1:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to: Clear Springs Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 301 Bethany Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681.
The family and funeral home requests that those in attendance wear a mask and practice “social distancing.”
A Tribute to Miss Bonnie
When the phone rang this morning and I saw it was Mama calling, I knew it couldn’t be good. My heart cringed as I answered and heard her tearful voice. “Kathy?? (sniff!!) Did you know Bonnie died last night?! She was the first to go!” My heart fell to my stomach and I sat down on the edge of the bed. “No, Mama, I hadn’t heard,” I said. We reminisced about our neighbor on Jonesville Road of 60+ years and cried a little together over the phone. How I wished I could be there to hold her. My mama, Lois Burdette, and Bonnie Fleming and Betty Hughes were the “Jonesville Road Crossing” mamas who swapped recipes, babysat, carpooled and saw after all 8 of us children at ‘the crossroads” in the 50s, 60s and 70s, til we all grew up and moved away.
By 50’s protocol, we called each of our ‘other mothers’ “Miss”……”Miss Bonnie”, “Miss Betty”, “Miss Lois”. Mama bewailed the fact that now their little tri-circle had been broken. All of their children were like brothers and sisters to us, in addition to our own siblings. Michael, Barbara, Nancy, Jennie, Ronnie, Kathy, Randy, Robby. We grew up in a time where, after chores were done, we could freely go play anywhere in the fields, woods, or at somebody else’s house until we were either told to go home or our mama called to say it was time to come home. Our imaginations were the only limits of our playtime, way before technology told us how to be entertained.
“FOR MISS BONNIE”
Daddy walked me over and you kept me the day my little brother Randy was born. I played with Michael and Barbara until Grandmother & PaPa came to get me.
You made the best freezer pops in summertime, one tray of grape, one of cherry! Oh, so good and cold since we didn’t have AC and it was in the 90’s!
You and Mama picked blackberries from the brambles in the ditches on our road and all of us kids wanted to help…..and then Mama picked briars from our fingers and you dabbed mercurochrome on our “wounds”. Oh, but those big blackberry cobblers….
You took us to Vacation Bible School, loaded up, as many kids as your car would hold and Mama, too, if she wasn’t working at Her Majesty that summer. Miss Emma Lou Hughes rang her cowbell out on the front steps of the church to call us to order. You, Mama, Miss Betty and Miss Clemis brought vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies and made gallons of Koolaid for us all. I can still smell the paper Dixie cups sweating from the icy Koolaid.
You took us to the first movie theater we’d ever seen….so many times I’ve lost track….except for “Charlie the Cougar” when the cougar’s huge head covered the entire big screen and growled….and little Robby jumped from his seat into my lap, terrified. We never let him live that one down!
You kept me and Randy on that dark March day after we got off the school bus and learned that our baby brother Robby had been taken to the hospital with a burst appendix and prayed with us for him to get well. Grandmother and PaPa came to pick us up and I overheard Grandmother tell you Robby had only a 50/50 chance of pulling through. I was so scared, too scared to even cry. But God heard our prayers and made him well.
You loved us and pampered us and I’m sure, prayed for us all. You taught us about Jesus and that He was the only One Who could save us. You watched all of us get baptized after summer revivals at church and taught us that we serve a GOOD and GREAT GOD.
And I am amazed at the thought that right now, as I sit here typing, you are in Heaven and seeing all the glory we could only dream about and imagine here on earth! Your beautiful soul is renewed, and in your spiritual body, you are singing praises to our God.
How thankful I am that God saw fit for me to have you as one of my three ‘mamas’ on Jonesville Road during those halcyon days. How thankful I am to Him that I was raised among three fun-loving, hardworking Christian women who were nothing but good role models for us all. I pray that He will fill the holes in Michael & Barbara’s hearts where you once were with memories of the good lives we lived….on Jonesville Road.
Kathy Burdette Walker
July 27, 2020
We have been blessed to know Miss Bonnie. We are praying for the family as she will be dearly missed.
What a blessing it was to know and love Miss Bonnie all our lives and live just across the road from her and her wonderful family! We all feel time slipping away as we all edge a little closer to that equation of Last Breath On Earth = First Breath In Heaven. I grieve with Michael and Barbara and their families, but oh, how I rejoice for Miss Bonnie, singing all those little children’s hymns she sang to us: “Jesus Loves The Little Children”, “Jesus Loves Me”, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”…..and she’s singing with all the angels in Heaven, and to Jesus Himself! She and Mr. Glenn are together again and all her family members she lost long ago…..and ALL her brothers and sisters in Christ! She will be missed greatly by us all, but I’m sure we’ll be together again soon!
We are so sorry to learn of the passing of Mrs. Bonnie. She was such a sweet and caring person, never failing to greet you with a smile and kind words. Your family is in our prayers!
Praying God will give you peace and comfort during this difficult time. Miss Bonnie was a special lady and will greatly be missed.
What wonderful memories we have of sweet Miss Bonnie! She always gave the sweetest smiles and had the most kind and supporting words to say! She will be truly missed! We are very fortunate to have known her and felt her love during our time at Clear Spring.
Sandra and I are So Sorry For Your Loss Miss Bonnie Was A Very Sweet and Godly Woman Loved Seeing her Every Sunday at Church and Her Beautiful Smile She Will Be Dearly Missed We Will Be Praying for All The Family And God’s Comfort Love You All and We Love Miss Bonnie! OUR CONDOLENCES, Ann Bowersock and Sandra Barton and Family🙏♥️😊.
We were so sad to hear of Ms Bonnie’s passing. We sure will miss her hugs every Sunday morning and her sweet smile. Sending love and prayers to the entire family.
Love- Dustin, Kaci, and Baileigh
It is so very hard to put into words what my Aunt Bonnie, was to me…She not only my Aunt but a mother…my mom was sick most of my life…needless to say my precious dad had his hands full…my Uncle Glenn and Aunt Bonnie…take care of me so my life could be normal as possible…We had a very special relationship…she tool care of me just like I was hers…infect she would tell people I was hers…she was always in my corner… I could come to her about anything! she was a beautiful inside an out…you always knew she was a christian first! Her walk with the Lord was always obvious…she led me to the Lord when I was five…I will see you in Heaven where our family circle wii be unbroken,
until then I Love You
We have sweet memories of Ms. Bonnie. We always enjoyed her devotions at CSBC Sr. Meetings. Yes, she was a precious lady who has left a legacy of a life well spent. Our prayers for her family at this time.
So sorry to hear about miss bonnie such a sweet lady
So sorry to hear about Ms Bonnie. She was such a sweet caring person.
Barbara,
Just saw this. Sorry to hear about your mother but as we both know she is in heaven flying with the rest of our mothers as angels. Praying for your comfort. Love to you, Lynn Barbrey Day