Bonnie Elizabeth DuMars Lau

Bonnie Elizabeth DuMars Lau passed away peacefully on October 27, 2025 at the age of eighty-four in Providence, Rhode Island. She and her loving husband of nearly fifty-eight years, Stephen F. Lau had only recently moved to Rhode Island from Chagrin Falls, Ohio to be closer to family. Bonnie is survived by her two children, Kristen Lau Gest and Peter F. Lau, their spouses, Donald H. Gest and Sophie Glenn Lau, and their four grandchildren Collin Gest, Phineas Gest, Emmie Lau, and Thompson Lau. Bonnie’s love of family, devotion to friends, and her legacy of care in the field of education and community service endure in all of the people and institutions she helped to shape.

Bonnie was born in Washington, D.C.on December 22, 1940 and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. She was the the youngest daughter of Maurice “Duke” DuMars and Fern Collins DuMars who moved to Washington D.C. from Kansas during the Great Depression, and where Duke began a career of service in the Department of Agriculture. Bonnie is predeceased by her older twin sisters, Jacqueline Lamson and Judy Norton.

After graduating from high school, Bonnie attended Miami University (Ohio) where she became a proud member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. After teaching in Stoneham, MA, Port Washington, NY, and Montgomery County, MD, she returned to D.C. to earn her Master’s in Education at American University. It was there that she met a politically-minded graduate student, Stephen, who was completing his doctorate in International Relations. At the time, Steve was working for Senator Walter Mondale and was a close friend of Hubert “Skip” Humphrey. As the story is told, at a party hosted by Vice President Humphrey, Mrs. Muriel Humphrey pulled Steve aside and told him, “You must marry this girl.” And the rest is history. Bonnie and Steve were married on December 28, 1968 before embarking on an eight month- long research trip to Santiago, Chile. They returned to Cleveland, where Steve ultimately began work for his father at Industrial First, Inc.

For nearly fifty years, Bonnie and Steve lived in Shaker Heights where they raised their two children, developed deep and abiding friends, and immersed themselves in the civic life of the greater Cleveland community. Bonnie joined and served in leadership roles in a wide variety of organizations, including the Junior League of Cleveland, the Intown Club, the Shaker Lakes Garden Club, The Twenty-First Century Club, and the Women’s Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art. In addition to her extensive volunteerism, Bonnie worked as a part-time learning specialist in the Shaker Heights public schools, and for seven years worked as the Reading Specialist at Laurel School. Together, she and Steve donated generously to the causes that mattered deeply to them, including National Public Radio and the Cleveland Clinic.

Though Bonnie and Steve journeyed across the globe, Bonnie’s heart was forever drawn to Bethany Beach, Delaware, where the broad sands and crashing waves brought her peace. In her final months in Rhode Island, she took comfort in watching the blue herons and egrets of Bullock Cove with Steve, Sophie, and Peter.

A celebration of Bonnie’s life will be held in Cleveland, Ohio at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to National Public Radio, NPR Network. Cards and notes may be mailed to Steve’s address in Rhode Island: 353 Blackstone Blvd. Providence, RI 02906.

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