Bonney B Sevellon of Rumford, Rhode Island, died after a brief illness at Philip Hulitar Hospice Center on June 20, 2025 at the age of 82.
Bonney was born August 11, 1942 in Washington D.C. to parents Sevellon Brown III and Margaret Durkee Brown. She spent her earliest years in California, moving to the East Side of Providence in 1945.
She began her distinguished business career in 1977 at Junior Achievement, running the Project Business program. After excelling in executive positions at A.T. Cross and Potter Hazelhurst in the 1980s, Bonney reached her professional pinnacle when she moved into the non-profit sector by becoming the Executive Director of Big Sisters of Rhode Island in 1990. During her tenure, she was responsible for the establishment of The Donation Center for the organization, a partnership that brought financial security to the organization for many years to come. If you have shopped at or donated to Savers in Rhode Island, you and Big Sisters have Bonney to thank, because those sales generate the dedicated revenue to keep BBBS solvent. In 2014, Big Sisters celebrated her far reaching impact on the organization, and by extension thousands of RI families and girls in need, by awarding Bonney the Legacy Award at the annual BBBSOS gala, a great thrill for her and for her family.
Outside of work, Bonney was a dedicated contributor to the common good. She was a founding mother of The RI Women’s Network and sat on the Board of Directors for both the YWCA of RI and the Women’s Development Corporation, where she also served as Chair. As a proud progressive and lifelong feminist, she has long been considered a leader in the state’s women’s movement.
While Bonney was rightfully proud of her professional achievements, it was the things outside of work where she found the most joy. She was an avid gardener, decorating and cultivating the property outside of each home she lived in, no matter the circumstance. The house where she lived longest had a bricked back yard with just a couple of flower beds. She filled the beds with blooming blossoms, hostas, and hanging plants. The rest of the yard consisted of 96 potted plants that required great dedication to maintain, which she loved. After moving to her final house in Rumford in 2016, Bonney embraced the largest challenge of her gardening life of reviving the house’s expansive yard, cultivating the suffering rhododendrons and planting a wide variety of rosebushes, annuals and perennials. Anyone who spent time with her chatting and resting in one of her gardens were enchanted by her handiwork.
Bonney was also an enthusiastic South County summer resident. In her childhood, she and her family often lived at Indian Lodge, and a lovely painting of the view from that house still hangs in her kitchen. In 1954, her father built Hot House, a small mid-century-style cabin in the woods of Matunuck Hills on Hothouse Pond. This is where she felt most peaceful and centered. She luxuriated in long swims in the deepest fresh water in RI ("32 feet down at its center!" she would say), with the fish kissing her feet, ospreys flying overhead, and whippoorwills singing in the trees. These swims were especially delicious after a day at the beach, where the pond would wash off the sand and salt, while soothing the soul. As an adult, she welcomed friends and relatives there, to unwind, to relax, and to connect.
But perhaps what Bonney will be best remembered for is her deep love for her family and friends. She was a fierce single mother who took great pride in caring for her children, but her maternal graces touched many other lives as well. Over the years, she took people of all ages and backgrounds into her home and her life. She offered shelter, comfort, and mentoring to all those who crossed her path (or those of her children) and needed refuge. She was a dedicated friend, infinitely generous with her time and advice, and a tireless caregiver to her family. She especially relished having grandchildren, who added a new dimension of love to her life that she treasured beyond measure. A committed animal rescuer, her many furry companions were also essential to her happiness throughout her life.
She treated her wide circle of friends as extensions of her beloved family, and expertly maintained these relationships, often for decades. Every companion, of many different stripes, from each era of her life, was “once a friend, always a friend” for Bonney. Late in life, she particularly enjoyed her time with the "Lunch Bunch", who brought her such joy in their outings together. Her Saturday night dinners in Rumford became a standing tradition full of good food and good company. She deeply appreciated her chef.
She is survived by her sister Deborah Stuart; daughter Elizabeth B Gumley; son Nathan S Gumley, his wife Mary Anne Zmaczynski, and their son Jeff Gumley; and daughter Linda G Kipper, her husband Larry Stone, and their daughter and son-in-law Samantha and Ryan Boselli. She was predeceased by her daughter Christina Vare. She is also survived by nephews, nieces, and many loving cousins, and her cat QiQi and her dog Lovey.
The family will hold a private memorial service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to
American SIDS Institute: https://sids.org/ways-to-help/
or
The Potter League for Animals: https://potterleague.org/
in her memory would be greatly appreciated
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