Hinchman Cousins,
Sad new about the passing of Bonita Gibson Taggart.
Bonita Belle (Gibson) Taggart, age 57, of Lebanon, Ohio passed away Sunday, August 9th, 2020 at Christ Hospital of Cincinnati. She was born on May 27, 1963 in Troy, Ohio the loving daughter of Joan Gibson and the late Thomas E. Gibson.
Bonita graduated from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and attended Savannah School of Art and Design for extended education. She taught for 33 years as an art teacher in the Franklin-Monroe and Bellbrook Sugar Creek Local school districts. She had a passion for art and loved sharing that passion with her many students. She often said “I love my job!” Bonita was also a recipient of the Ohio Art Teacher of the Year Award and a long-time member of the Ohio Art Education Association. In addition to teaching elementary art, she was active in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s “Evening with Educators” program where she also taught.
Bonita lived life to the fullest with lots of love for (and from) her family and friends. This included trips to the beloved family farm in West Virginia, Jimmy Buffett concerts, soccer matches at all times of the year, and board games on Christmas Eve. Milestones were marked with parties that included close family, good friends, good food, and lots of laughter. Bonita’s smile brightened our world and will forever be missed.
Bonita will be missed by her loving husband Ted Taggart, and her devoted son Joseph “Gus” Taggart; mother Joan Gibson of Troy, Ohio; sisters Alicia (Russ) Kimmel of Covington, Ohio and Christie (Sam) Brown of Troy, Ohio; mother-in-law Colleen Taggart of Jacksonville, FL; brothers and sisters-in-law Julie Canter of Erie, PA; Tom and Patty Taggart of Jacksonville, FL; Tim and Lisa Taggart of Loveland, Ohio; nephews Seth, Austin, and Chase Brown; nephews Chase and Alec Canter, and Andrew Taggart; nieces Katy and Claire Taggart, Maddie Canter, and Carley Mueller. She was preceded in death by her father Thomas E. Gibson, brother Thomas G. Gibson, nephew Tyler Gibson Brown, and father-in-law Dr. Donald E. Taggart.
The family will receive friends on Monday, August 17, 2020 from 5 PM until 7 PM, at Lebanon Presbyterian Church, 123 N. East St, Lebanon. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 18th at 11am at the Stine Funeral Home, 801 Monroe Road, Lebanon, with Rev. Peter Larson and Pastor Pam Hitchcock officiating. Interment will follow in Turtlecreek Cemetery.
For those who are unable to attend the funeral service in person on Tuesday, a live broadcast will be available on our website.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Bonita’s memory to the American Cancer Society.
