Bonnie Sue Landsea, 82, of Miami, FL, formerly of Nokomis, died on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, knowing the love that her husband, four children and eleven grandchildren had for her.
A Celebration of Life was held on Friday, Dec. 23, in Big Pine Key. Shells containing her ashes were committed to the waters off their home in Big Pine Key, FL, which she always referred to as “her paradise.”
Mrs. Landsea was born on July 16, 1940, in Nokomis, to Raymond and Mary Ellen Dammerman. The Dammermans owned and operated a small farm in Nokomis.
When not walking at age two, she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Mrs. Landsea was treated with numerous surgeries at Shriners Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO, that did enable her to walk the rest of her life. Despite life-long hip issues requiring multiple replacements and many other serious operations, Mrs. Landsea never complained and always had an “I-can-do-it” attitude.
Mrs. Landsea became the first in her family to go to college. She attended the University of Illinois, where she earned bachelor’s degree in dietetics and followed that up with a master’s degree at Florida International University. She became a registered dietitian and professor of dietetics at Miami-Dade College.
While at the University of Illinois, she met Bill Landsea, and the two were married in Nokomis on March 29,1964. The couple welcomed their first child, Christopher and moved to Miami in 1965 for Mr. Landsea’s appointment as a finance professor at the University of Miami. Several years later, she started her 30-year career as a professor at Miami-Dade College.
The Landsea’s were also blessed with three more children, Ingrid, Douglas and Matthew. Mrs. Landsea was also extremely active in her church, Christ the King Lutheran Church, where she was vice-president of the church council. The couple wisely invested their savings in farmland and a vacation home in the Florida Keys, where Mrs. Landsea spent much of her time with relatives and friends fishing, snorkeling, catching stone crabs, watching the sunset and taking delight in the lightning shows from the frequent thunderstorms over Pine Channel.
Mrs. Landsea relished being a grandmother and getting to teach a new generation about healthy cooking and baking. She also channeled her creative interests into her unique shell-art, which adorned their homes in Palmetto Bay and Big Pine Key. She loved the adventure of travel and meeting new people and was fortunate to visit all seven continents.
Mrs. Landsea is survived by her husband of 58 years; sister, Lolita Morgan; four children, Chris Landsea, Ingrid Landsea (Hop) Kennemer, Doug (Katie) Landsea and Matt Landsea; and eleven grandchildren, Rebecca Landsea, Johnny Davies, Hopkins Kennemer, William Landsea, Mitchell Landsea, Lacey Kennemer, Elena Landsea, Jacob Landsea, Grace Landsea, Frederick Landsea and Ansley Landsea.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers , Gary, Mervin and Kim; and daughter-in-law, Teresa.
Memorials may be directed to the Shriners Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. (www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/locations/st-louis).