The Richmond News, Dec. 8, 2023

Bonnie J. Beary McCalley – a longtime resident of Richmond and a lifelong member of the Richmond United Methodist Church – passed away Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, at North Kansas City Hospital. She was 92.

Bonnie was born March 1, 1931, to Reuben Cecil “Jack” and Rosa (Patterson) Beary. She was the youngest of seven sisters. Some of her fondest childhood memories included listening to radio programs with her father, Bonnie McCalley

she said.

“I wouldn’t change anything for my childhood. I was so lucky,” she recounted in 2022. “I really was. ... And I had some good friends.”

Bonnie graduated in 1949 from Richmond High School. Then, for about a year, she attended Central Missouri State College (now the University of Central Missouri), where she majored in English and played in the university band. Her post-high school years also included teaching country school, she recalled.

“I loved the teaching part, but country school wouldn’t be one I would choose,” she said.

During those early years out of high school, she had been dating Jack Edward Pointer Sr., also of Richmond. Their courtship began in late 1948, when she was trying to sell Christmas ads for The Ray County Herald. At the time, the U.S. Navy vet was starting his own business, Pointer’s Jewelers.

“I asked him if he’d like to buy an ad for the newspaper,” she remembered. “He said: ‘You know, I’ll tell you what. If you date me, I’ll buy one.’” After a courtship that included movies at The Farris Theatre, singalongs in Pointer’s Model A and trips to Kansas City’s old Pla-Mor Ballroom, they tied the knot on June 19, 1951. They remained married until his death on April 12, 1990.

Bonnie married Audrey Vernon “A.V.” McCalley – a longtime attorney in Richmond – on Aug. 30, 1991. The pair frequently traveled throughout their marriage, with trips around the United States and overseas. He died May 23, 1995.

Bonnie was a dedicated member of the United Methodist Church choir and frequently served as a piano accompanist for musical performances around town. She also was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution; and as an amateur genealogist, she had detailed her connections to four ancestors who fought the British.

Survivors include three sons, Erik E. (Sally) Pointer of Lexington, Jonathan P. (Traci Swartz) Pointer of Los Angeles and Jack Edward (Jessica) Pointer Jr. of Fort Collins, Colo.; one daughter, Rosanne Elise (Heidi Adams) Pointer of the home; three grandchildren, Nathan A. (Mikaela) Pointer of Olathe, Kan., Meredith L. (Jimmy) Maxwell of Blue Springs and Harrison J. Pointer of Los Angeles; and five great-grandchildren, Noah Maxwell, Alexander Maxwell, Olivia Maxwell, Jackson Pointer and Amelia Pointer.

In addition to her parents and husbands, she was preceded in death by her six sisters: Pauline LaGalle, Juanita Wade, Maxine Landis, Ruby White, Rosanna Fearing and Frances Griffin.

Bonnie also was a loyal friend to all animals. Memorial contributions can be made to the Humane Society of Ray County. They can be left at or mailed to Thurman Funeral Home; 507 E. Main St.-P.O. Box 190; Richmond, MO 64085. Donations to any other animal welfare organization also are encouraged.

A memorial will be held on Friday, Dec. 8, at Thurman Funeral Home in Richmond. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., with services to follow at 11. Burial will be in Richmond Memory Gardens.

Please share your memories of Bonnie with the family by visiting www.thurmanfuneralhome.com.