Bonnie Ryan stands at the base of a mountain.
Lisa Gavon | R-C Alpine Bureau
She is a true Nevadan, both authentic and unique. It is something that cannot be bought or sold, nor does mere birthright confer it on your soul. For octogenarian Bonnie Ryan, she is most comfortable when she is in solitude in the wide-open spaces, staring at nothing but the sage dancing up the hillside to meet the immense Nevada sky.
“People always question me about being out on my own in the desert,” reports Bonnie. “They ask what would happen if I got a flat tire or what if I got injured? Well, once I did get a flat, and a tire shop was right there, just outside of Manhattan, Nevada! I am a part of it: the people, the desert itself, the old artifacts. I have always felt like I already knew and was deeply connected to the land. My guardian angel is always with me. There is nowhere where I feel more safe and comfortable.”
“I did not plan any of my life, it just happened,” she continued. “It is all a lucky accident, since everything I have done has been fun. I have lived and worked in so many historic Nevada buildings.”
Bonnie was employed at the Gold Hill Hotel on the Comstock Lode over a period of 13 years, living right next door for most of that time. She even wrote a column for the Comstock Chronicle and worked as a Tour Guide for “The Castle.”
Raised by a single mother, Bonnie and her sister flitted from pillar to post. In the fifth grade, they all moved to live with their grandparents on a farm in western Washington. That experience has shaped her life to this very day. “There was stability and structure and we loved it. We were outside all the time, driving the tractor, feeding pigs, cows, and the grumpy chickens.” She met her father when she was 18. Bonnie laughed, “You can only imagine what a lot of twists and turns there are to that story.”
Her childhood was bare bones: a simple, healthy existence. “It was almost impossible to get into trouble. All my friends lived at least ten miles away!” she said.
In high school, she became part of a group of girls who have remained friends their entire lives. They still see each other almost every year. After graduation, Bonnie got a job babysitting for a doctor in Seattle. He suggested she become a doctor’s assistant and hired her when she completed the program.
This was where she met her husband. He was Irish like her, and they were married on Friday the 13th twice: first at the Justice of the Peace, and then in the Catholic Church. Perhaps this foreshadowed the fact that their marriage would last 13 years. After Bonnie had sons Charlie and Michael, she switched to a job in a preschool. Then her third son Dan was born. He was still just a baby when her husband announced, “Pack your bags, we are moving to Ireland to start a pub!”
So, in 1970 their whole family set up a new life on the Emerald Isle and started making friends. The pub did not pan out though, and after less than a year, they packed up their 17 suitcases and went back to the states.
Bonnie started working at the University of Washington. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she said the doctor was very kind. He spread out the chemotherapy over two years so she would have enough energy to continue to raise her sons. “And here I am: still in one piece!” she said, smiling happily, at ease all these decades later in the tranquility of her Gardnerville home.
With her marriage ended and her two oldest sons out of the house, Bonnie moved with her 12-year-old son Dan back to Ireland on their own. It was then that she became known as “Irish Mist Bon.”
After a year, her work visa was denied, and their adventure ended.
She and Dan landed on their feet in Reno. She held two part-time jobs and starting college classes. After a short time, she accepted a position with the State of Nevada as a Personnel Technician. During the following years, she completed one of her goals: receiving her AA degree from Western Nevada College in 2007 at the age of 66.
Upon retirement, she has worked as a Gift Shop and Museum Attendant at the Fourth Ward School in Virginia City, an Administrative Assistant Intern at the Nevada Railway Foundation, and as a Volunteer at the Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center.
She maintains a true closeness with her family, including a great grandson, who all live in Washington. Bonnie is always there for the people who are important to her. When one friend’s daughter got colon cancer, they put together a nude calendar as a fundraiser. “It was shot at the Bliss Mansion, and was very tastefully done,” says Bonnie. “Another out-of-the-ordinary event!” Also a photographer herself, she normally prints a Nevada photo calendar highlighting the places she has visited that year to give out at Christmas.
Even with life’s trials, Bonnie states emphatically, “Boy, am I lucky.” There is no question that she will handle living with Parkinson’s disease with the same grace she has previously shown under fire. “I was pretty upset for a few months, but then I accepted it,” she says, “I have not given up on my solo trips out into the wilderness. I still know the way! Friends have offered to come with me, but the point is to be by yourself, surrounded by the open desert.”
Bonnie feels that something much greater than herself has guided her to all of these amazing places and experiences. “It is really far beyond luck. My mother used to say not to expect life to be like it is in the movies, but it sure as heck has been! Sometimes things turn out better than you can envision. So far, my life has exceeded my expectations.” This could be due to the fact that she carries her own wee bit of leprechaun magic out into the wild lands of Nevada.
