Virginia Mae Holt, born May 27, 1931 to Leslie B. Lee and Bernadine I. Detlor Lee in Lowell, Ohio, went to be with Jesus on February 16, 2025, at the age of 93. Virginia spend her childhood and teen years in Ohio with her parents and several aunts and uncles, whom she adored. In 1949, she married Dorman Marsh and they had two children, Linda and Dean. In 1953, her marriage to Marsh ended. With her two children in tow, she moved to Las Vegas with her parents. While in Las Vegas, she worked at some restaurants on the Strip as a hostess. In 1954, she met and married Larry Hopkins, and moved to Kingman. Virginia watched other children in her home for extra income. Our dad, Jack Bonza, took us three girls, Rachele, Jackie and Kathy to her house during the day while he worked. Linda, Dean and us three girls played together. This continued for several years until Virginia and Larry moved.
In early 1959 Virginia and her two children returned to Kingman. She and her two children were stranded at the downtown movie theater and didn’t know who to call, but thought of Jack Bonza. He, along with his three girls, gave them a ride back to their house. Five months later Virginia married our dad, John G. Bonza (Jack) and thus became the family of his, mine and ours. In February 1960, all five of us kids had a new brother, John Jr., then there were six!
Our mother had her hands full with six kids. She tried teaching us girls how to sew and some of us made Barbie clothes stitching with a needle. Since she was an artist she showed us how to make paper dolls.
Mother loved to fish but never had much time to do so while raising us. When most all of us had married and left home, mother and dad bought an old bus and together they remodeled it into a camping bus. They started going fishing and camping at Bonelli Landing with our brother John who was 10 at the time. Then as grandkids were born, when they got old enough grandpa and grandma Bonza would take them camping and fishing with them. That is what most all of the grandchildren remember about their grandpa and grandma Bonza.
Our mother was also an avid bowler. Her and grandma Lee would bowl weekly on a bowling team. They would have their granddaughter/great-granddaugther Dawna in tow with them.
On February 10, 1994, our dad, John G. Bonza Sr. passed away.
In May of 1997, our mother married Jackson Long. He would take mother fishing down in Bullhead City. They had a good life together for 13 years when he passed on September 4, 2010.
On July 3, 2011 mother married Ralph E. Holt Sr. They had 12 years of adventures together. She belonged to a ladies group that played cards, taking turns going to each others home. She also continued her painting at the Kathryn Heidenreich Center once a week. Ralph and mother played many games of Yahtzee together until he passed in April 2023.
Our mother had learned many talents from our grandma Lee. Mother was an artist who painted the most beautiful pictures. She taught an art class at Mohave Community College. She also had a lot of her artwork on display and for sale at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts. Our mother was a woman of many talents. She was always crocheting, knitting, reading a book, putting puzzles together. She also made pottery, and made all four of us girls dresses and other outfits.
During the last two years, our mother started coloring pictures in the adult coloring books, using markers. Most of the pictures were flowers or themed color books like fall, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter and the 4th of July. These colored pages were too pretty to throw away so we put borders around them and laminated them, using them for placemats for the different holidays. They will always be cherished!
All of us were so blessed to have her as our mother and grandmother, great-grandmother and she lived long enough to see two of her great-great-grandsons.
She will be missed but not forgotten!
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Kenny, her husbands John Bonza Sr, Jackson Long and Ralph Holt, and her son Dean. She is survived by her children Rachele Brooks of Prescott, Ariz., Jackie Stanley (Dan) of Kingman, Linda Neihardt (Danny) of Texas, Kathy Medlin (Rodger) of Kingman, and John Bonza Jr (Kim) of California, 13 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be held Saturday, March 8 at 11 a.m. at Kingman Christian Church, 2830 Gordon Dr. Arrangements were made by Sutton Memorial Funeral Home.
Virginia Mae Holt
