GWENDOLYN MAXINE WOODS BONNER, 94,
died on Dec. 19, 2023 in Glen Rose, TX, with burial
in the Crossroads Cemetery near Ranger, TX. She
was an extraordinary mother, teacher, seamstress,
& musician. Gwen was a longtime Hico, TX resident.
She was born May 19, 1931 in Strawn, TX & attended
Ranger High School in the Class of 1948. Gwen
graduated from Abilene Christian University (then
Abilene Christian College) in the 1950s with an
education degree, but she started college as a
piano major. She was a gifted musician, born with
the ability to play almost anything by ear. She
often accompanied her father, David Bailey Woods,
as he played fiddle.
She taught school in New Mexio and Texas from the
early 1950s to the early 1990s, when she retired
from the Hico school district. She was skilled at
keeping her students focused on learning as she
taught everything from reading to home economics
through the years. Gwen was highly creative all
her life, as both a seamstress and a pianist.
She started sewing as a child in the Ranger area.
Her fashion sense began with a love of shoes growing
up, when getting a new pair was an event. She went
on to make designer-level clothing for herself and
her children. Gwen had exquisite taste & a discerning
eye for color, proportion and detail. Her home was
beautifully decorated with things she loved.
Gwen is survived by her three children, Judy Wiley,
James Wiley and Kelly Wiley; sister Cevellia Woods
Roberts (RHS-1954) and brothers Tim Woods (RHS-1951)
& Floyd Woods (RHS-1954); grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husbands
James L. Wiley and Frank Bonner; and brother Bailey
"Bubba" Woods (RHS-1945).