Bonnie LaVon Wahlen

Bonnie LaVon Wahlen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 22nd, 1937, to Leroy Harry and Rebecca Alice Anthony. She was raised up with her two brothers, Billy & Roy.

During her early life she enjoyed spending time on her grandmother’s farm and summers riding the train to visit family in Santa Cruz, California. She attended Granite High School and had a strong passion for swimming. She met her sweetheart of 62 years, Nolan Thomas Wahlen, at Murray Park swimming pool. They were married on July 3rd, 1957.

Nolan & Bonnie spent the first years of their marriage living with Nolan’s parents where they had their first two children, Nolie and Kim. Shortly before the birth of their third child, Tom, they purchased a large plot of land in Murray, Utah, where they would go on to spend their lives together. Bonnie had three more children, Carl, Wendy, and Steve.

Being a mother was truly her life’s mission. She tended to each of her six children’s needs individually with thoughtful love and care. She was a phenomenal homemaker and loved to cook. She always made enough food to feed armies--no one left her home hungry. Mom allowed her children space to be wild and explorative in nature and encouraged their many interests. She had a great sense of humor, sass, and spunk.

Nolan and Bonnie were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were sealed for all time and eternity in the Jordan River Temple. They faithfully served their church together in the Phoenix, Arizona Mission on the Navajo Reservation from 2007-2008. Aside from motherhood, her marriage took absolute precedence in her life. She took the greatest honor in being a wife and was fiercely and valiantly loved by Nolan all of their days. They enjoyed fishing, spending time in nature, taking long drives, and stopping for a Diet Coke along the way.

Together they built a successful tree nursery on their property. Noles Nursery became more than a successful business, but the birthplace and childhood of many grandchildren and great-grand children. They created a place of magic and wonder that was something out of a fairytale for many.

Bonnie lost the love of her life on June 7th, 2019. During the seven years they spent apart, she fought a long battle of heartbreak and medical challenges. She found happiness in the joy of her great-grand children, tending to her koi pond, watching birds fly from out of her kitchen windows, and listening to talks from Elder Holland. We want to give a special thank you to her daughter-in-law, Jeanette, for caring for her in the years after Nolan’s passing.

Bonnie peacefully left us on February 1st, 2026, at Alta View Hospital after a brave and courageous fight. She stayed faithful and endured to the very end. She was ready to be reunited with her beloved husband and the welcome of her Savior in paradise.

Thank you to her son, Tom, and daughter, Wendy, for the sleepless nights spent at the hospital, and all family who surrounded her with love and care in her last earthly days. A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful caregivers at Alta View Hospital, who were not only angels but became our friends and family.

Bonnie is survived by her children Jeffrey and Kim L. Swain, Thomas David and Dao, Carl Edwin and Holly, Mitchell and Wendy Ann McCann, Steven Arvid and Jeanette, 19 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and brother Roy Anthony, brother-in-law Robert Wahlen, sister-in-law Karen Wahlen, and sister-in-law Jean Anthony. She was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 62 years, Nolan, her eldest son, Nolie Dale, her parents Leroy and Rebecca Anthony, her brother Billy, and many beloved relatives and friends.

We will forever remember the tender threads she wove into all of our lives through her ordinary acts she performed in an extraordinary way. We find peace in the beautiful reunion that has taken place, and know that because of the Savior's love we will be with her again.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 7th at 11:00 AM at the Cottonwood Stake Center, 1830 East 6400 South, Murray. Friends are welcomed to greet the family during the viewing on Friday, February 6th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Rd., Sandy. There will be an additional viewing prior to services at the chapel from 9:30-10:45 AM. She will be laid to rest at Larkin Sunset Gardens.