Bonnie F. Guenther

Bonnie F. Guenther
February 7, 1935 — October 21, 2025   Davenport

Theatre Director, Wife, Mother, World Traveler, Puppeteer, Arts Promoter, Servant of the Lord. Bonnie Guenther was all of these and more.

Bonnie Fern McCann was born February 7, 1935, in Jamestown, New York, to Thomas and Lena McCann. She died peacefully in Davenport, Iowa on October 21, 2025, at the age of 90.

Bonnie married Bruce E. Batterson in 1954 in Celoron, New York. They had three sons prior to relocating to the Quad Cities area in 1959. Together Bonnie and Bruce created the Bonnie-Bruce Marionettes and performed throughout the Quad-Cities at churches,schools, and libraries. Their bright red and yellow trailer was a common sight on Quad-City streets as they took their puppet theatre to various venues.

After Bruce’s sudden death in 1966, Bonnie supported her three sons with office work at Bliss/Eagle Signal, where she met Harold C. Guenther, formerly of Fountain City,Wisconsin. They married in 1968.

A theatre participant since childhood, Bonnie served for many years as a board member of Davenport Park Board Junior Theatre, the second oldest children’s theatre company in America. Bonnie went to work with the company in 1977, replacing founder Mary Fluhrer Nighswander as the second Director of the organization upon Mary’s death in1991. She continued to lead Junior Theatre until she retired in 2005. Over nearly 30 years, including 15 years as Director, Bonnie upheld the legacy and vision of Junior Theatre founder Mary Fluhrer Nighswander, while carefully expanding Junior Theatre’s reach into other areas of the performing arts.

In her leadership of Davenport Junior Theatre, Bonnie transformed the lives of hundreds of young people by giving them the freedom to grow through creative expression,encouraging them to challenge themselves to be better and do better, and providing them with a safe space to learn and socialize. Her impact on these young people and their community cannot be overstated, and it remains her legacy with hundreds of Junior Theatre alumni across multiple generations. 

Above all, Bonnie was a tireless promoter of performing arts in the Quad Cities, working at many levels behind the scenes. Notably, from the 1960s to the 1980s, she worked alongside Mary Fluhrer Nighswander as Executive Secretary of Broadway Theatre League, a nonprofit presenter of Broadway touring shows that brought top-tier live entertainment productions to the Capitol, RKO Orpheum, and The Adler Theaters in downtown Davenport. For nearly three decades, Broadway Theatre League brought dozens of shows, often with well-known star performers. 

After Harold’s death in 2002, and her retirement in 2005, Bonnie filled her days with travels to such far flung places as Egypt, Alaska, Ireland, Mexico, and Hawaii. She was active in the Plus 60 club of the Quad-Cities and often hopped on the bus to Chicago to see the latest and best of Broadway well into her eighties. 

Bonnie also cherished her church involvement, first at Grace Lutheran Church in Davenport, and after she and Harold moved to rural LeClaire in 1975, at Zion Lutheran Church in Princeton. She served in many leadership roles in both congregations, as well as in the Iowa Synod. She participated in a number of mission trips. She was especially moved by a journey to the native lands in the four-corners region of the American Southwest. Bonnie is survived by her sons, Bruce (Mary) Batterson of Firth, Nebraska, Budd Batterson of Bloomington, Minnesota and Brett (Veronica) Batterson of Memphis,Tennessee; seven grandchildren and four great-granddaughters; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Howard and Shirley Batterson of Bettendorf; sister-in-law, Caroline Batterson of Sacketts Harbor, New York; sister-in-law, Shirley Fetting of Cochrane,Wisconsin; and numerous nieces, nephews, godchildren and other relatives.

Bonnie had many friends and depended on them in her later years. The family thanks these wonderful individuals, as well as her care staff at Senior Star at Elmore Place in Davenport. 

A service to remember Bonnie will be held Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf. Visitation will be on Friday evening, November 7th, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made in Bonnie’s honor to Davenport Park Board Junior Theatre or to Zion Lutheran Church, Princeton.