Birth date: Sep 23, 1942 Death date: Oct 31, 2022
Eva Mae Bonanno, age 80, of Fayetteville, AR, passed from this life Monday, October 31, 2022. She was born September 23, 1942, in Saginaw, Michigan, a daughter of the late Edward Buza and Fern Michel Buza. Eva was united in marria Read Obituary
It is always hard when you loose a loved one. They have bought you so many memories and joy over the years. Many of the fond memories are ones that few others know. This letter is an attempt to share some of my memories of Eva that many others do not know. Please share this letter with others who knew and loved Eva.
Eva was my closest sibling. She was eleven years older than I. In many ways she was my only true sibling. She was the only one that I remember being in the house while I grew up. My other brother and sisters were out of the household before I could develop many solid memories.
One of the things I do remember in first grade is Eva walking me to school every day. It was a rough neighborhood and she acted as my protector and guide. We had a lot of conversations what I considered then as far ranging. Back then I wore corduroy pants that went zzz zzz with every step you took.
One day when I was young (probably around 1st grade) we got into a tiff. She took me to church. We were saying the Lord's Prayer. The part of the Lord's prayer where you say “deliver us from evil” I changed it to “deliver us from Eva” I pronounced Eva very distinctively she was not happy with me.
I went on two vacations with Eva. One was out east. It was with my mother and Eva, Dad did not indulge in such things. The biggest thing I remember was seeing Niagara Falls. There were many cities we passed along the way that had the same name as many European cities. Paris, London etc. We stopped by these signs and took pictures like we were in Europe.
She also use to take me swimming at the local gravel pit which was always great fun.
She had a Ford Galaxy 500. For you who never seen one, it was a huge boat of a car. It had no power steering. This made it difficult to turn, especially if it was not moving. I am not sure how she maneuvered that car. The best thing about the car is, she let me borrow it. I had just started driving and I did not own a car. My friends were all impressed by that big old boat of a car. It was in very good shape
Eva was the one to cut my hair for several years. This was during the time when long hair was the fad for young people. She was one of the main people to advocate with my parents for me to let my hair grow. That was very important to me at the time. She was also the first one to inform me of my first gray hair at 17 years old.
I have many other memories of Eva but the biggest thing was she was an important part of my growing up and helping me to develop into the man I became.
Mike Buza
Condolences and prayers to Joe, A.J., and Nicki. Paul & I will never forget our fond memories in Kirland Estates: the great times, family friendships and multiple sleep overs with Nicki & Shane.
Paul & Kathy Buchanan
