When a person dies, many euphemisms begin to be spoken. If he or she was old, then it was a full life, but if young then it ended before it was time. And in almost all cases, he or she died quickly and without pain. Kevin M. Bonnin died on April 17, 2010, but unlike most tellings of lives past, it was not quick, and it was not without pain. It is important to remember the pain because it is proof of life.

Kevin spent his early years in Oroville, grew very close to many people, and after his family moved away missed every one of his North County friends for the rest of his life. Next, he lived in Okanogan followed by the Methow Valley. After a stint in the Army, he moved back to Omak and Okanogan and later still worked for many years in Brewster and Pateros.

He truly called all of Okanogan County his home, and in every place he lived and worked he met people who grew to be close friends. Most of these friends never really knew how to talk to him, so conversations often turned into uncomfortable silences, but they all knew Kevin would always try to be there to help in the bad times regardless of the uncomfortable good times. Then he moved away – all the way to Southern California – and those who knew Kevin understood how big of a leap this was. When he called back home to his friends, he always said he would come back to Okanogan County some day. He always said this because of the pain he felt from missing his friends, as displayed by the uncomfortable silences and always trying to be there to help during the difficult times.

This was his proof of life. If you knew him, please remember Kevin with a few moments of uncomfortable silence. If you truly knew him, then you will understand the importance of the uncomfortableness, and you will feel the pain that was, and is, the proof of his life.