Saltville, Virginia

Nellie "Juanita" Bonnell, age 75, passed away on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, VA.

Juanita retired from Toltex after 27 years of dedicated service. After retirement, she continued pouring love into her community, volunteering at the Saltville Food Bank for 15 years, where she built lasting friendships and touched countless lives. Her children and grandchildren were the center of her world, and that love extended far beyond her own family. She had a way of making everyone feel like they belonged, especially the kids who weren't "hers" but whom she treated as if they were. Juanita loved playing baseball in her younger years, and as time went on, her greatest joy was watching her grandchildren take the field. She also loved fishing, listening to music, and spending time with her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Oakley Ray Hayden and Annie Pearl Repass; brothers, Troy Ray Hayden, Richard Ford Hayden, Jack Hayden, Bufford Hayden, and Clinton Hayden; sisters, Gracie Lou Brown, Sarah Asby, and Lois Mitchell; grandparents, Earl and Martha Hayden; and lifelong friend, Donna Havens.

Left to cherish Juanita's memory are her husband of 25 years, John R. Bonnell of Saltville, Va.; daughter, DeAnna Freeman of Chilhowie, Va.; sons, Travis Bonnell of Saltville, Va., Tyler Bonnell  and husband, Monte Strickland of Olive Branch, MS; sisters, Mildred Lawson of Roanoke, Va., Becky Abbot of Suffolk, Va., Rachel Hanshew and husband, Tom of Kennesaw GA., Patsy Taylor and husband, Bill, of Troutdale, Va.,  Dreama Roop of Saltville, Va., Sharon Cope and husband, Don, of Saltville, Va., Laura Ann Firestone of Saltville, Va., Madaline Brown of Gibsonville, NC, and Joyce Testerman and husband, Jim, of Kingsport, TN; brothers, Oakley Ray Hayden, Jr., and Gordon Hayton both of Hopewell, Va.; grandchildren, Nicole Carper of Atlanta, GA., Jacob Preston Carper of Atlanta, GA., Brandon Bonnell and wife, Abby, of Marion, Va., Bethany Bonnell of Marion, Va., Braydon Bonnell of Marion, Va., and Brooklyn Bonnell of Saltville, Va.; great-granddaughter, Madeline Grace Bonnell of Marion, Va.; several nieces and nephews; special friends, Shirley Henderson of Saltville, Va., Raymond Cross of Glade Spring, Va., Chip Carper of Atlanta, GA., Sue Brown of Johnson City, TN., Todd Austin of Seven Mile Ford, Va., and Tasha Poole of Marion, Va.; her life in a dog, "Little Man."

The family will receive friends on Saturday, November 1, 2025, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. at Henderson Funeral Home. Family graveside services will be held at a later date at Elizabeth Cemetery, East Main Street, Saltville, VA 24370, with Gary Evans officiating.

In lieu of flowers, Juanita requested donations to a fund established for the grandchildren.

Online condolences may be expressed at drhendersonfuneralhome.com. D.R. Henderson Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Nellie "Juanita" Bonnell.