Y'Vonne L. Clemenhagen

August 26, 1939 - July 1, 2008

Y'Vonne "Bonnie" left us on 1 July 2008. She was born in Seattle, Washington to Willard and Esther Voyer. Bonnie grew up in the small wheat farming town of Ritzville, Washington, where she began playing the French horn in junior high school. After graduating with the class of '57, she attended Eastern Washington College for a year and then went to work to raise more tuition money. She and husband Buddy met on a blind date while both were working at Boeing. They married in May of 1960 and started a family. Curtis Grant was born in March of 1962 and Ronda Lynn in May of 1964, both in Seattle. In 1973, Buddy received a promotion with the Corps of Engineers, so they moved to Portland, Oregon. Y'Vonne returned to school, not as a student, but as a special education assistant at Lot Whitcomb School in NCSD#12, where she worked for over 20 years before retiring in 1999. In addition to her teaching, Y'Vonne had an even longer career playing the French Horn in a variety of bands, orchestras, quintets, and trios, including the Thara Memorie Creative Jazz Orchestra and the Willamette Falls Symphony who joined with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 2007. Y'Vonne is survived by husband Buddy, sister Jeanine, and children Curtis and Ronda who are grown and married. Curt and Kim have two boys: Grant and Ryan. Ronda and Jim have a Giant Schnauzer, Iggy. Y'Vonne enjoyed her "three" grandsons more than anything, and Grant, now six years old, shows a keen interest in the French horn. Service to be held at Willamette National Cemetery on 14 July at 2 pm. Flowers can be sent to Peake's Memorial Chapel in Milwaukie, Oregon.