06/10/2026
Bonnie Joy Swihart
It is with deepest sorrow that we must bid farewell to our beloved Bonnie Joy Swihart. She tended to be quiet and kept to herself, but when she laughed, she lit up the entire room, and you couldn’t help but laugh with her. For 30 years, she fought a battle against epilepsy and lived life as fully as she could despite it. One last seizure was God’s vehicle to bring her home to him on the 1st of June, 2026, in her home in Merritt Island, Florida.
Bonnie was born on the 7th of February, 1986, in Frederick, Maryland, to Mark and Dagmar (von Hacht) Swihart. After moving a bit in her youth, the family settled down outside of Bradley, California, just a few miles from the north shore of Lake San Antonio. Here, she grew up, climbing trees, playing with her sisters, and making lifelong memories worth cherishing.
Bonnie graduated from King City High School, and shortly thereafter began to work at Wal-Mart in Paso Robles, California. In 2010, she moved in with her sister Sam, in Fairview Heights, Illinois, where she continued working at Wal-Mart and helped take care of her niece, Annemarie. In 2013, Bonnie moved with her parents to Merritt Island, Florida, where she lived for the rest of her life. For the past couple of years, she did seasonal work as a receptionist for H & R Block.
Her life wasn’t only work and seizures. Bonnie volunteered in many areas in her home church, Grace United Methodist Church, in Merritt Island. She helped cook meals for the homeless, served in their yearly pumpkin patch, and had recently helped put together a cookbook for Grace’s 65th anniversary. Bonnie was also a Girl Scout Leader, along with her mom, for many years, providing a fun and safe space for Anne and many other girls of Merritt Island. She also served as a leader in Paso Robles before leaving California.
Bonnie was greatly loved by all who knew her and will be sorely missed. Surviving her are her parents and her sisters and their families: Barbara and Mike Miller of Santa Maria, Calif., Malissa and Filomeno Perez, of San Antonio, Tex., Samantha Swihart of Merritt Island, Fl., and Katie and Thomas Krieger, of Glen Burnie, Maryland. Also surviving are the following nieces and nephews: Mark Swihart II, Annemarie Swihart, Alice Perez, Benjamin and Morgan Miller, and James and Nicholas Krieger. Also surviving her is her paternal grandmother, Joy Swihart, of Blanchard, Oklahoma. She was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather, David Swihart, and maternal grandparents, Helmut and Annegrete von Hacht.
Bonnie’s life will be remembered and celebrated at a funeral service at 10:00 AM, Friday, June 12,2026 at The Methodist Church of Blanchard. It will be followed by a graveside service where she will be interred in Blanchard Cemetery near her Opa. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to The Methodist Church of Blanchard. Services are under the direction of Eisenhour Funeral Home of Blanchard. Online obituary and guestbook are available at www.eisenhourfh.com.
