Lehigh lost a special community member this spring as Bonnie Mesler, a coordinator in Development and Alumni Relations for 28 years, passed away on March 20.
When Bonnie’s supervisor, Brandi Furry, was asked what she and her team will miss most about Bonnie, she shared the following:
“How do you describe the mark that someone leaves after decades of service? It is surely a mark that will never fade. What I hear most often when I ask people what they will miss most about Bonnie, it is her knowledge, her caring, thoughtful and helpful nature and her professionalism.
Personally, I will miss Bonnie’s dedication to her job and to Lehigh. The work that she did was very important to her. It was meaningful to her. I have heard many colleagues comment on her calmness and her way of making people feel welcomed. As others have often stated, she would do everything she could to assist her colleagues. She was equally kind and helpful to our alumni as well. I always admired the way that she would talk to the alumni that called into the office. She had a way of making them feel heard and appreciated. She never failed to emphasize how much we valued their support. She had so many years of institutional knowledge and experience which made her a truly valuable asset to the team and to the department.
No matter how much she may have been struggling with health challenges, she never failed to remain dedicated to her job and to Lehigh. I will always wish we could have celebrated her and all of her contributions prior to her passing. She will be missed more than she ever could have known.”
Brandi also gathered remembrances from Bonnie’s colleagues in DAR. Here are more of their thoughts on a colleague whom many described as positive, helpful, dedicated and caring:
“Bonnie was a wonderful colleague with vast institutional knowledge, a whiz at unraveling complicated gift processing issues. She was a great listener - quiet, calm and kind; very intelligent and very unassuming. She was a DAR/Lehigh treasure and dearly missed.”
“I knew Bonnie for many, many years, she and I worked through the processing of so many gala tickets over the years! She will be missed.”
“Bonnie was someone that you knew you could always go to for help... And you also knew that she was going to do everything in her power to help you and/or get to the bottom of whatever you brought to her. She was a great colleague and person - someone that we deeply miss as part of our team.”
“When I think about Bonnie, this is what comes to mind: Bonnie was a calm and collected spirit. Her strength, determination and persistence in her last years were admirable and always with a smile.”
“Whenever I had a gift processing question, so often the answer was "ask Bonnie." She was especially patient with my many burning requests to translate the esoteric codes that confounded me on our DR tracking sheet."
“DAR is poorer for the loss of Bonnie's expertise--the irreplaceable kind that only comes through years of doing a job as well as she did. I will miss her intelligence, her quiet professionalism, and our cordial conversations. May her memory be a blessing.”
“What I will remember most about Bonnie is that everyone she knew had the same things to say about her, which is a testament to her character. Whether you knew her through work at Lehigh or otherwise, you knew her as always present, caring, deeply committed, and knowledgeable.”
“I would like to include how so many of us shared our love of cats with Bonnie and had that connection with animals. Showing each other pictures, sharing stories and memories of our furry loved ones.”
“I met Bonnie at an all DAR staff meeting my first year here (2022). At the loop all staff meeting, we had to sit with people that were not on our immediate team. At the time, I did not know many people at Lehigh, so I was very nervous to sit with a group of people I did not know. Lucky for me, I sat next to Bonnie. She immediately was kind and welcoming to me as I took a seat next to her. I was so honored to sit next to her that day because I got to learn about her on a personal and professional level. So much so, that we realized we shared a birthday. We were both mischief children born on October 30th. This created a bond between us, as she became my birthday buddy. I would always make sure I stopped by around our birthdays to ask if she had any plans. Though, I did not know her beyond stopping by her desk to say hello or the yearly "happy birthday" her kindness had a lasting effect on me.”
"Bonnie was a very caring individual who was always willing to lend a hand. The Athletics Partnership considered her our "go-to" for any gift processing needs. We knew how reliable and responsive she was to our team. We are so thankful we had the opportunity to honor her at our Athletics Full Department meeting in May of 2023 to let her know how much we appreciated her support. She was humble and faced her illness with quiet strength. We will miss her greatly."
“Bonnie was one of the most friendliest and witty people that I met when I arrived at Lehigh in 2008. I was always able to have a conversation with her at any moment. She was a tremendous person and colleague, always!”
“I wanted to let you know that I was so sad to hear of Bonnie's passing. She was always a very helpful and positive person. She was great to work with!! I will miss her.”
“I have good memories of Bonnie. She was extremely dedicated to her job, very professional and detailed oriented. Those of us who had the privilege of being friends were able to receive the love and affection she knew how to give in her unique, quiet way. She was also full of love for her family, whom she always mentioned in conversations. We are going to miss her.”
