Bonnie L. DePalma

ROTTERDAM - Bonnie (Strenka) DePalma, age 82, passed away peacefully on Wednesday October 2, 2024 at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center. She went happily into the loving arms of her husband, Frank E. DePalma Sr., to whom she was married for 52 wonderful years, who passed away in 2018.

Born and educated in Schenectady, Bonnie was the daughter of the late Louis and Evelyn Strenka and a graduate of Draper High School.

Bonnie is survived by her devoted sons Frank E. DePalma Jr. of Rotterdam and Christopher L. DePalma (Monique Gleason) of Ballston Lake, as well as her grandsons Frank E. DePalma III of Rensselaer County and Maxwell L. DePalma. Bonnie is also survived by her siblings Michael Strenka and Barbara Rice as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Bonnie raised her children and later worked, retiring from Power Technologies in Schenectady in 2015. After her husband's passing, Bonnie loved to help her son Frank Jr. at DePalma's Screen Printing and Embroidery in Rotterdam, a family business run by her husband for 40 years, 26 years alongside Frank Jr., who has carried on the business. Her sons will always fondly remember Bonnie as a wonderful mother who was everything they could have asked for in a mother who, together with their father, created a warm and loving home. Bonnie made friends everywhere she went and was well liked by all who knew her. She loved her family and friends and enjoyed her time with them immensely, and she had a passion for music until her last days.

Special thanks go out to the caring staff at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center and hospice. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:00am on October 8, 2024 at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, 1803 Union Street, Schenectady, NY. A visitation will be held at the church from 8:00am to 9:00am prior to the funeral mass. Internment will follow in St John the Baptist cemetery beside her beloved Frank Sr. Memorial donations may be made in Bonnie's name to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601.

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