OBITUARY: The woman who loved the water … Bonnie Kay Pringle

1964 – 2022

Bonnie Kay Pringle, 58, died on Sunday, July 31 at home in Rotonda. She was born in Punta a on May 8, 1964 to June (Reynolds) and Merril “Buddy” Fulton.
Bonnie grew up in Placida, however, where her father was a commercial fisherman. She attended Charlotte County schools and had a natural affinity for math.
After her high school graduation she enrolled in a two-year accounting class at Charlotte Voc-Tech. At that time her sister was working as a secretary for the Gasparilla Island Water Association, and she told Bonnie about a position that was open for a part-time bookkeeper. While still at Voc-Tech she started working for GIWA and finished her program in a year.
When Bonnie’s sister left her position as secretary at GIWA, she took it over. For the next 10 years, Bonnie and Darrell Polk managed the GIWA themselves, with the help of two or three men in the field. She had a lot of free time in the office and spent hours reading old files. She learned about the Association and how it worked … and in the end that paid off.
While the 1980s featured slow growth on the island, the 1990s brought a building boom and the need for water began to increase. What was once a staff of five at GIWA became a staff of more than a dozen. Bonnie was there through all of it, watching GIWA turn from a tiny little water company into something that was much more complicated.
She always enjoyed a challenge, and she thrived at her position. She eventually became director and continued to mentor the new director, Ron Bolton, until she passed away.
Bonnie didn’t just work for GIWA, she truly was GIWA. She lived and breathed to make the company as successful as possible, right down to creating and administering the GIWA website. For 43 years it was her entire life.
Bonnie also enjoyed gardening, vacationing, cruising and spending time with her family. She was very involved in her son’s Pop Warner football program and was a huge fan of the team.
Bonnie was one of the good ones. If your water meter was running hot, she would take the time to track you down and let you know there was a leak in your house somewhere. She was easy to talk to, easy to work with and loved to share her knowledge of reverse osmosis and water levels with anyone who would listen. She truly cared about this community and we cared very much about her.
Bonnie was predeceased by her brother, David Fulton; and her parents. She is survived by her husband, Jeffrey Pringle, of Rotonda; her sisters, Kathy Barnhill of Arcadia and Missy Sparks of Arcadia; her daughter, Krystal Dendinger, of Arcadia; her son, Travis Pringle, of Rotonda; and her three grandchildren: Mason McCall of Clewiston, Leah Dendinger and Levi Dendinger of Arcadia.
Thoughts and memorials can be directed to the Englewood Community Funeral Home, englewoodfh.com. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.