May 13, 1948 – March 10, 2025

Kathlene (Kay) Bonnigson was born in Medford, Oregon on May 13, 1948, and raised in Southern California. She earned her B.A. from UCSB, her J.D. from the Ventura College of Law, and was a practicing attorney for 37 years in the Santa Barbara and Central Coast area.

Vivacious, adventurous, and witty, Kathlene was a life-long traveler and experienced sailor, having sailed from Newport Beach to Hawaii as a young woman, and later sailing the Great Barrier Reef and Mediterranean. She traveled throughout every continent save two, and loved poetry and the arts, etymology, and word games.

Kay moved to Nevada County in 2008 and quickly joined Health Care for All, working for a single-payer healthcare system for the state of California, and proving herself instrumental in bringing free healthcare clinics to Nevada County, serving over 1700 residences with needed medical, dental, and vision care.

She is survived by her cat, Bernie, her daughter, Kelsey Craven, and all of her close friends who will miss her dearly. A celebration of Kay’s life will be held at an undisclosed private residence.