Josephine Rose (Balano) Bonomo

Josephine Rose (Balano) Bonomo, 86, Raymore, MO passed away Nov 24, 2017. A visitation will be held 6-7PM, Thursday, Nov 30, 2017 at Heartland Cremation & Burial Society. A memorial service will follow at 7PM. Graveside services 10AM, Friday, December 1, 2017 at Mt Olivet Cemetery. Our mother always loved the old WWII ballad “I’ll be seeing you.” That sentiment has sustained us since her promotion to heaven. Mom was preceded in death by; parents, Joseph and Rosaria Balano; estranged brothers, Phil and Dominick and previous husband, Joseph M. Bonomo. Survivors include; daughters, JoAnn Bonomo MacKay, Rose Linda (Bud) Owens, Toni Jo (Paul) Tormanen; grandsons, Derek Owens & Nino Joseph Owens; and great granddaughter, Bryar Owens.

Mom was raised in a traditional Italian Catholic family in the NorthEnd AKA Columbus Park area of Kansas city. It wasn’t until years later when she was 60 that she would have a personal relationship with Jesus, her Savior which transformed her life.

Mom was always creative and ambitious she had talent and was always inventing new things or reinventing the old. She had a keen sense of humor that always kept those around her happy and laughing. For example, she would be at a very formal function for dinner and she would purposely take a piece of green spinach and make sure it stuck to her front tooth and then she would turn to her neighbor and initiate a conversation with a big smile. And she would laugh at their reaction as they would try to tell her she had something on her tooth and she would play dumb and they had no idea she did it on purpose! The woman could amuse herself. Recently, the nurse at the health care facility said she had a magazine open to a plate of food and mom was pretending to eat the food in the picture. The nurse asked her what she was doing and Mom said pretending to eat. LOL I know she did it on purpose she most likely saw the nurse coming. ? Her first job was as a Patricia Stevens model and when a job offer from New York came knocking she received an ultimatum from our father ‘your career or me’ and the rest is history but we often wonder just how far she would have gone given the guidance and direction she should have had. She also worked at Brand and Puritz in the garment district in Kansas City which she ended when she became a wife and mother of which she was the BEST!  She did return to the work force after having her third daughter and graduated from Cosmetology school. She worked at Johnny’s in Liberty, Ronnie’s at the Blue Ridge mall, then she had a salon in our home and worked from sun up to sun down. As a child  I often wondered why my mother was so much like Mary Tyler Moore but my father was nothing like Dick Van Dyke hence their divorce after which she was interviewed and hired by the owner of Adler’s clothing store to manage the beauty salon. From her experience as a stylist, colorist and manager she went on to become proprietor of her own Salon, Phillip’s Beauty Salon on North Oak Traffic way in KC North. She retired from hair design and did a career change and was a tailor at KG Men’s store at Oak Park Mall. She loved working there and was loved by the sales staff as well as the other tailors. Then she once again left the workforce to take care of her family. Mom’s life was full of ups and downs, but she always trusted in the good Lord to see her through and her big transformation came in May of 1991 at a friend’s bible study where Mom fully grasped the gift of salvation and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior whom she loved with all her heart and is F2F with him today! She attended Sheffield Family Life Center and was an active member until her health prohibited her from doing so. Mom was the type of Mom that when Toni couldn’t decide on a wedding dress because she like the top of one and the bottom of another Mom said well I can fix that and took the dress and altered it to be the perfect dress. When Rose got married Mom catered all the food including Italian cookies and cannoli chips and dip (her original idea) to a location out of state. When JoAnn needed anything in California, Colorado, Arizona or finally back home, Mom would be on it and make sure it was delivered. Mom always made special care packages for JoAnn all the years she lived out of state. Mom always was equal and never showed favoritism which showed how wise a woman and mother she was.

When Rose met Bud it was a package deal of the best kind. Rose got Bud and Derek and they Got Rose and Josephine. And then came Nino and Mom became Nani the Nanny her favorite job ever. I can honestly say Mom had a huge impact on the good and wonderful man he has become. She always taught him the right, true and godly things from a very young age. Looking back over all the pictures I can say Mom had a life full of people who loved her and whom she loved fiercely and she had a good time while on vacations, holidays, picnics it was all pure fun she would see to it! Once in California the rental car had a tape in the glove box of the song “Don’t worry, be happy.” And Bud started to sing it this way…even if your mother in law comes on vacation with you don’t worry be happy. We laughed so hard we almost pee’d our pants but that is the kind of relationship Mom and Bud had, fun and loving all the time.
Mom’s favorite story was about the red lawn mower. She loved her son-in-law Bud so much that she was crying to the Lord because she was sad that she could not buy him a riding lawn mower for him to mow the yard at our new home, where she lived and resided with us. The Lord heard her and a short while later whilst on a trip to Arkansas Mom saw a contest for a beautiful red lawn mower at the local Wal-mart. She said to herself, Lord it is red – the color of your blood. And she saw the form to fill out and the only pen was a red ink pen and again she thought of the color of His blood that washed away her sins. Silly mom then she told the Lord, but I don’t know if I remember my new address to fill it out. And He told her fill it out. And she did. I came alongside her and saw the contest and said I’m filling one out as well. And she turned to me and said no need. I said no Need and she said No need the Lord told me to fill it out and if He told me to then that means I’ll win. I said I guess so. And we didn’t discuss it again. Two weeks later the phone rings Bud answers it and it’s for Mom and Mom asks who is it, but God told her it’s for you! And Bud said I don’t know. She came to the phone and they asked her if she was Josephine and that she had won the lawn mower. In her excitement, she said I’ll be right there. But we had to make the trip to AR to pick it up. She found that there were 12 boxes of entry forms pack full and out of all those they picked hers. She thanked the Lord and we were all jumping up and down. That mower lasted us 10 years it was the best mower ever. And that’s is how it was with her,  she prayed and God would hear and answer. She was the best prayer partner you could find. She was also very active in ministry, the compassion ministries where you make food for a family that has lost a loved one and then Feed the People Ministry where you go out in a van and deliver a hot meal to the homeless of KC.

If you had known Mom then you were prayed over, she prayed for you whether you were family, friend, or enemy she prayed for you and always wished the best for everyone. Towards the end Mom kept telling us not to worry that she was going to heaven and that she would be fine and not to forget her. We always told her she was unforgettable and could not be forgotten. And that is what she is Unforgettable!  I’ll be seeing you Mom.

A special thank you to Dr. William Stephenson and all the nurses and caregivers at Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, Belton Regional Medical Center and the awesome care at Brookdale Foxwood Springs Health Center. All of you were a huge blessing to Mom & our family eternally grateful.