Evonne "Bonnie" Tipton

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Evonne “Bonnie” Jean Tipton (Brink) on Oct. 5, 2024, at the age of 84. She was born Aug. 7, 1940 in Akron, Ohio, to Earl Otis Brink and Thelma Mildred “Millie” (Grueser) Brink. She grew up in the Firestone Park community with her parents, Millie and stepfather Robert “Bob” Nelson Raught.

 She had a great faith in Jesus and loved serving the Lord. She sang in the choir, did solo work, helped put together Bibles for mission’s work, and even sang in a woman’s quartet. Her hobbies included gardening, sewing, working puzzles, making jewelry, and later in life she even dabbled with playing harmonica. She also loved eating out and had a taste for sweet treats. She was a long-time member of Temple Baptist Church of Green. When she was younger, she was a member of First Baptist Church of Green and later Hillwood Chapel.

 A 1958 graduate of Garfield High School, Bonnie’s earliest leisure activities included participating in bowling leagues, and performing as a drum majorette with the American Legions Post 209 with her friend Kathy Mollica.

 For many years, she and her husband Marvin “Marv” Wayne Tipton enjoyed attending the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, with his brother and sister-in-law, Theodore “Ted” and Donna Tipton. Bonnie was an optimist and faced adversity with a strong Christian faith.

 She married the love of her life, Marv, on June 7, 1968. The two worked together at Superior Tool and Die. Marv made parts for scissors jacks and Bonnie worked in the office. She recalled seeing him peer at her from behind the machinery. Before she even knew his name, she had given her mother a report that she had seen the man she is going to marry. The two officially met at a Christmas party held by Superior at a local restaurant, but even before this official meeting the woman machinists were playing matchmakers to bring the two together. While dating Marv, they enjoyed roller skating and eating out together. Marv was a big fan of Bonnie’s cooking.

 Marv worked at Goodyear Tire & Rubber for more than 35 years. They were married 47 years until Marv’s death in 2015. They resided many years in Green, before returning to Akron in 2000. The couple attended church regularly throughout their lives. Over the years, Bonnie and Marv shared their lives with many cats, whom they loved dearly.

 She enjoyed spending time with her two sons, Brett and Lance, and her husband. Many favorite memories were made with family trips to Cedar Point, where everyone stayed in the Hotel Breakers. A favorite event was eating hamburger in the Coffee Shoppe. Bonnie didn’t enjoy heights, so she avoided the higher rides, but she really enjoyed the shows like the Rock and Roll Review and the IMAX theater.

A favorite family trip was to Walt Disney World. Bonnie’s favorite was the Electric Light Parade. She was fascinated by the various electronic animals that were lit up with Christmas-style lights.

She enjoyed holiday get togethers with her family (Millie, Bob, brother, Winfield “Winnie” Brink, his wife Helen Brink, and extended family) and yearly Christmas parties with her husband, sons, nieces, Karla and Darla, Darla’s husband, Tim Williams, Marv’s brother, Ted, and Ted’s wife Donna.

Mom loved watching baseball and was a big fan of the Cleveland Guardians. This love started in her childhood, where she went to games where her older brother Winnie played. She enjoyed sitting along the sidelines and cheering. She also recalled her step-father, Bob, bringing over his black-and-white TV while he was dating her mom, Millie. They would watch games on the TV.

She enjoyed watching games with her sons, which she would call “bonding”. Her love of baseball was strongly shared with her son, Lance. She also enjoyed Browns games and would occasionally watch the Cavs with her son, Brett.

In 2021 Bonnie was a beaming mother who was thrilled to see her son, Lance, graduate with a degree in Business Management from Stark State College. Lance had made the President’s list while at Stark State, which made her a proud momma. One of the biggest joys Bonnie had in life was seeing her sons succeed.

Throughout her life, Bonnie worked a variety of jobs—mostly bookkeeping, receptionist, typing, or administrative duties. Her favorite job was working for Goodyear in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The department hung from the dirigible hangar at Goodyear and had various catwalks, railings, and even a photo lab. Mom worked in technical publications with one of her main duties typing out rough drafts of technical manuals that went to the Lake Hurst, New Jersey training center. Mom had Top Secret clearance and at times would escort dignitaries to their destinations.

In 2017 Bonnie took up harmonica. She enjoyed learning and had some trips with her son, Brett, who also plays around on harmonica. In 2018 they went to the Buckeye Harmonica festival together at the Holiday Inn in Worthington, Ohio. In 2019 they went to HarmoniCollege together, which was an event held at Heritage Farm in Huntington, West Virginia.

Bonnie enjoyed watching detective shows including NCIS, Law and Order, or the occasional Columbo movie. She also enjoyed watching America’s Got Talent and the Game Show Network.

Mom’s best buddy and life-long friend is Kathy Mollica. They met in grade school and were close friends for over seven decades. Later in life the two enjoyed sleepovers where Kathy would come and spend several days at Bonnie’s house.

Preceding her in death are her parents Bob and Millie Raught, and father Earl O. Brink, as well as her brother Winfield “Winnie” Brink and sister-in-law Helen (Jones) Brink. Also preceding her in death are brother-in-law Theodore “Ted” Tipton and sister-in-law Donna (Romig) Tipton.

She is survived by her sons Brett and Lance Tipton, as well as her best friend Kathy Mollica. She is also survived by nieces Karla Tipton and Darla (Tim) Williams of Akron.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 11, 2024, at Newcomer Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 9-11 prior to the service. Interment will follow at Lakewood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Temple Baptist Church of Green. We’d like to thank the staff at The Gardens of Cuyahoga Falls for the care they gave to Bonnie.