Bonnie Margaret (Britt) Tanferani, a life-long resident of Humboldt County, passed away peacefully the evening of April 4, 2019.

Born Feb 5, 1945, Bonnie was a 1962 graduate of Eureka High school and continued to raise cain with her classmates for the next almost 60 years.  In high school Bonnie was a majorette and band officer and after high school worked for optometrist Dr. Paul Burns for nearly 10 years.

Bonnie left Eureka and traded her beloved 1956 Corvette for a long line of quality Ford products when she married Ed Tanferani of Loleta in 1968.  Bonnie and Ed moved to Fortuna, where she lived for the next 31 years on a ranch she loved dearly, raising every animal imaginable from guinea pigs, goats, cows, steers, rabbits, dogs and cats to potbellied pigs, rescued wild ducks, llamas, geese, chickens, jackasses (not just Brett & Ed), an incredibly inappropriate parrot and, most of all, her beloved horses. (There was an an attempt to adopt both an elephant & a giraffe at one point as well!) At the peak, Bonnie owned 13 horses from show horses, cutting horses, to trail horses, from newborn to 16 years old. 

Bonnie’s pride and joy, an Arabian Stallion named Laarc, was an accomplished young show stallion whom Bonnie took to even greater heights. Bonnie and Laarc continued his career in Park and Buggy showing and expanded their success to Sidesaddle, Traditional Arabian Costume, Halter and even a foray into Western Show competition.  Bonnie and Laarc won a US National Championship in 1978, and accumulated enough lifetime victory points for Laarc to receive one of the most prestigious awards in the equestrian world, the Legion of Merit, in that same year. Bonnie raised, bred and showed more than 30 horses in those years and provided countless individuals with not only riding lessons but irreplaceable life lessons.

No one who encountered Bonnie left without a memory. Bonnie loved kids, the elderly, and animals the most. When she wasn’t working with her animals, tending to the ranch, teach horsemanship or caring for her family, Bonnie was taking animals to schools and elder facilities to help brighten the days of others. She was a loving mother, fiercely loyal family member, incredible horsewoman and an amazing giver to all who met her. 

Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents Margaret and Milton Britt, her older brother Tony Britt, her older sister Karen Britt, her niece Cindy (Britt) Blanc and her first husband Danny Patterson. Bonnie is survived by her son Brett Tanferani, granddaughters Ashley and Nicole Tanferani (Los Angeles), her brothers and sisters-in-law Russ and Pam Britt (Eureka) Bob and Shari Britt (Eureka), her extended family, Bob and Kari (Bradshaw) Macri (Fieldbrook), Jeff and Lori (Britt) Patterson (Cloverdale), Rob and Nadine Britt (Anthem, Arizona), Toni Britt (Eureka), Lisa Britt (Eureka), Travis and Patti (Britt) Campbell (Eureka) and her former husband, Brett’s father, Ed Tanferani (Santa Rosa). 

Bonnie’s legacy and her love of animals is survived through Miranda’s Animal Rescue, a No-Kill Rescue shelter run, out of Bonnie’s beloved ranch alongside the Eel River, by longtime friend, and honorary family member, Shannon Miranda. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations in Bonnie’s name be made to Miranda’s Animal Rescue. 

A memorial/celebration of life, will be held for Bonnie on Monday, April 29, 2019 at the Eureka Elks Lodge #652 at 445 Herrick Ave, Eureka, from 4-6 p.m.  Please bring a photo or two of Bonnie that you would be willing to part with, to be placed on a memorial picture board. Following a short series of scheduled speakers, all attendees will have the opportunity to volunteer and share an experience or memory they have of Bonnie. Please keep speaking limited to 5 minutes in order to allow time for others to speak.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Bonnie Tanferani’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.