Cecila A. Bona

Cecilia Ann “Cele” Bona, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, poet, teacher, and lifelong lover of words, passed away peacefully on November 5, 2025, at the age of 90. Born in Joliet, Illinois, to Herbert and Anna Briick, Cele discovered her passion for poetry as a child through her mother’s recitations and quiet hours spent in a neighborhood bookstore. In 1960 she married Charles C. “Chuck” Bona, a union that lasted nearly 65 years, and earned her Bachelor of Arts from Marquette University. The couple lived primarily in Hinsdale and later Gurnee, Illinois. For 42 years they were active members of The Theatre of Western Springs. Cele enjoyed a successful career as an award-winning journalist for the Doings newspapers, later earning a Master’s degree in the Program for Writers at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1983. She taught Creative Writing and English as an adjunct professor at College of DuPage for more than 25 years and led popular writing workshops. In 2018, at age 83, she published her first poetry collection, Tilt-A-Whirl on the Farm.

Cele was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Charles C. Bona, infant children Tobias, Ann Marie, and Rosemary, son Stephen Bona, granddaughter Jessica Archer, her parents, and three brothers. She is survived by her daughter Maria Archer (John), son Joseph Bona, six grandchildren (Colin, Shane, and Meaghan Archer; Mae and Charles Bona), two great-grandchildren, and many former students, writers, and theater friends. In the spirit of the poetry she loved, Cele has stepped through the curtain, leaving behind memories of fresh hay, theater laughter, and the enduring return of spring. 

Visitation June 4th, 2026 10:00am at St. Francis de Sales. Mass at 11:30am with luncheon to follow at Celebration On Wells. 

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Derrick Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, is assisting the family.