Bonnie J. Burling

Bonnie J. Burling, 91, of Hastings, NE died on June 3, 2026, at Heritage at College View in Hastings. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Grace United Methodist Church in Hastings. Burial will be at Kenesaw Cemetery following a luncheon at the church. Visitation will be on June 10, 2026, at Apfel Funeral Home in Hastings from 4-7 p.m. with family present 5-7 p.m.

Memorials are suggested to Grace United Methodist Church of Hastings, or donors choice. Online condolences can be sent to www.apfelfuneralhome.com.

She was born on May 26, 1935, in western Adams County to Leland and Edna (Eighmy) Keister. Her mother passed away when Bonnie was an infant, leaving her father to care for six young children. At the age of three, Bonnie became a foster child in the home of Dan and Lydia Snyder of Roseland, NE, who lovingly helped raise her. She graduated from Holstein High School in 1953.

On April 11, 1954, Bonnie married Carroll Burling at the E.U.B. Church in Holstein. Together they established their home on the family farm south of Kenesaw, where they lived and farmed for 58 years while raising four children.

Early in their marriage, Bonnie and Carroll shared a commitment to helping others and believed it was their responsibility to help one another “bloom where they were planted.” That commitment shaped the course of their lives. They opened their home to foster children through the Adams County Welfare Department and later welcomed foreign exchange students as well.

Bonnie was a gifted homemaker who enjoyed cooking and sewing and excelled at both. She was also deeply involved in her church and community. Over the years she served as choir director, sponsored youth groups, participated in approximately 60 Lay Witness Mission Weekends throughout Nebraska and Kansas, and volunteered with Prison Fellowship and Bible study ministries serving inmates at the Nebraska Department of Corrections near Hastings. A lifelong servant-leader, Bonnie was always willing to volunteer wherever there was a need. She and Carroll spent many years investing in the lives of young people through church ministry, foster care, and community outreach. During Carroll’s service in the Nebraska Legislature, Bonnie organized a group of senator’s wives who made hundreds of quilts for Children’s Hospital in Omaha.

Following their move to Hastings in 2012, Bonnie continued her lifelong habit of serving others. She led the Angel Tree ministry at Grace United Methodist Church for 28 years and devoted countless hours to sewing and quilting for charitable organizations. She was also a 4-H Leader and an Extension Club member.

After suffering a stroke in 2017, Bonnie was no longer able to use her sewing machines. Undeterred, she taught herself to make tie blankets entirely by hand. Over the next seven years, she created and donated more than 2,200 blankets to The Bridge and CASA, continuing her ministry of compassion and generosity.

Bonnie was known for her gentle and kind spirit. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend whose life was marked by service, faith, and generosity. Her greatest joy came from helping others, and her legacy can be seen in the countless lives she touched through acts of kindness both large and small.

Bonnie’s life beautifully reflected the words of Jesus that guided her actions:

“Love thy neighbor as theyself.”

She was preceded in death by her parents; foster parents; four sisters; one brother; and son; Dan Burling.

Bonnie is survived by her husband, Carroll; daughters: D’aun (Ray) Best, Darla Knight; son: David Burling; daughter-in-law: Tammy Burling; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.