Mary Josephine Bonnin, 70, of Panama City Beach, passed away Monday, August 24th 2026.

Mary was born March 4, 1956 in Baraboo, WI and grew up in a large family in Mauston. She enlisted in the US Navy in 1976, serving for 20 years. Mary graduated at the top of her class in both air and gas surface-supplied diving. She then became the first woman Master Diver, and later she would be one of the first women to enter the Women Divers Hall of Fame. While stationed in Puerto Rico with her husband Ralph, who also served as a Navy diver, she continued diving through the 8th month of her pregnancy, and named her first child Mark after the Mark Five brass diving helmet system. During her tour she trained over one-thousand divers, and worked in various posts around the ship. She also served as the leading diver safety authority. She eventually retired from the Navy in 1996. After retiring, Mary moved to Panama City Beach with her 4 sons. She later found work as a tax preparation specialist, overseeing several franchises and local businesses, and moving on to own and operate a UPS Store for around 10 years. After retiring, she devoted all of her time to gardening, eventually cultivating a huge garden at her family home. Mary is survived by her 4 sons, Mark, Michael, Matthew, and Martin; as well as 4 grandchildren, Louis, Logan, Lila, and Andrew, and her sisters and brothers.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026 at 11 a.m. in the Wilson Funeral Home Chapel. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Saturday from 10-11 a.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers a donation can be made to The Florida State Parks Foundation: https://bit.ly/4iwFQwo In memory of Mary Bonnin