Bonnie Laura Lepper, 86, of Bowmont, Idaho, passed away peacefully in her home while surrounded by family members and caregivers on November 26, 2018. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on December 8, at the Bowmont Community Church led by family members and close friends. Bonnie was born and raised in Cedar City, Utah to Clair and Faun Higbee on September 24, 1932. She went to Utah State University where she met Lewis Lepper who was also a student at the University. They married in Cedar City, Utah on September 4, 1953 and headed to Indiana to meet all of Lewis' family. The Indiana-friendly family embraced Bonnie and made her feel that she was home. Bonnie worked in a clothing store in Indiana until Lewis was drafted into the Army at the end of the Korean War. Bonnie gave birth to Kim, their first son in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and later had their son Chad at Ft. Jackson in South Carolina where Lewis was serving. They returned to Indiana where Bonnie worked as a telephone operator until they decided to move back west for Lewis to finish his college degree at Utah State. They then moved to Pocatello, Idaho in 1960 where Lewis took a job with the Idaho Farm Bureau. This is where both their daughters Jamie and Phoebe were be born. Lewis got a new position as a lobbyist with the Idaho Farm Bureau so he and Bonnie moved their family to Nampa, Idaho in 1968 to be closer to the Idaho capitol. They chose Nampa over Boise as they were looking for a Lutheran school where their kids could attend. Bonnie stayed busy as a mom and housewife until she and Lewis bought the old Town Hall building in Bowmont, Idaho, a small farming community south of Nampa. In 1978 they opened the Town Hall Market where they sold gas, propane, and groceries to the local farmers, truck drivers and residents. The real draw was their little cafe where Lewis would serve up burgers and conversation and where Bonnie's homemade soups and pies became legendary. After 25 years Bonnie and Lewis retired and converted their market into their retirement home. People would still drop by looking for the old store and hoping for a piece of Bonnie's pie. Although Bonnie appeared to some to be private she was a great conversationalist. While Jamie was growing up she would spend hours in the kitchen talking with her mom while Bonnie was cooking the food for Town Hall Market, sometimes until early in the morning. After Jamie was married their conversations continued over the phone and over weekly family dinners. They also enjoyed long walks in Bowmont and the countryside. In October of 2017 Bonnie had a stroke. She spent the next eight months in hospitals and rehab facilities. Her one goal was to get back home to Bowmont, which Lewis worked hard to make happen. She spent the last five months of her life in the location and with the person she loved the most. Bonnie and Lewis opened their home for a special 65th wedding anniversary in September. Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents Clair and Faun Higbee, and a brother Michael Higbee of Cedar City, Utah. Bonnie is survived by her husband Lewis Lepper of Bowmont; her children and their spouses: Chad & MiYoung Lepper of Tigard, OR, Kim & Louise Lepper of Nampa, ID, Jamie and Chad Estes of Boise, ID, and Phoebe Lepper of Maui, HI; a brother Richard Higbee of Cedar City, her grandchildren and their spouses: Audrea and James Neville of Hillsboro, OR, Logan and Casey Lepper of Austin, TX, Kona Estes of Boise, Chad Stephen Estes of Boise, Bonnie Estes of Pearl Harbor, HI, Renton Estes of Boise, and Kelby Lepper of Nampa; and her great-granddaughter Emersyn Neville of Hillsboro, OR. Memorials may be given to Lifeline Pregnancy Care Center of Nampa or your favorite local charity. Bonnie's family wishes to extend their sincere thanks to the amazing and numerous caregivers that assisted Bonnie during this last year of her life from St Alphonsus Hospitals in Nampa and Boise, The Good Samaritan Society of Boise, Ahrens DeAngeli Law Group, Multi-Care Home Health of Meridian, Addus HomeCare of Nampa, and Harrison Hope Hospice of Meridian as well as the private care CNA's and neighbors that helped make Bonnie's homecoming a reality.
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