'Sister Wives' Meri Brown Remembers “Strong, Resilient, Compassionate” Mom Bonnie
Published April 3 2021, 12:14 p.m. ET
On March 26, 2021, the Brown family on Sister Wives hit yet another hardship: Meri Brown’s mom, Bonnie Joyce, died that day. “76 years and 17 days was not enough time for the world to feel the beautiful spirit of this beautiful woman,” Meri wrote on Instagram the following day, announcing the news.
In her caption, Meri added that Bonnie was “this woman whose life mission was to give, to love, to serve. This woman who only knew how to do for others. This woman who would drop everything for you. This woman who was strong, resilient, compassionate. This woman who was a safe place to land, no matter where, no matter when. This woman, this beautiful woman, my mom.”
How did Meri Brown’s mom die?
Meri didn’t say in the Instagram post how Bonnie died, and no cause of death has been announced, but Meri did say that her mom “left us suddenly, unexpected, and extremely way too soon.”
She went on: “I literally don’t know how I’m going to do the rest of my life without her. Mom, I love you beyond the words I can express here, but I know you know that. You are loved, you are missed, and I know you are so happy celebrating on the other side with Dad, hugging your daughter and son who left us too soon, reuniting with your parents, and getting to know your dad.”
Bonnie had a big role in a March 2021 ‘Sister Wives’ episode.
Sister Wives viewers saw Bonnie in the Season 15 episode “Birthday Breakdown” — which aired two days after her passing — as she moved in with Meri in Arizona to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mariah Brown, Meri’s daughter, and Audrey Kriss, Mariah’s fiancée, switched places with Bonnie, moving to Utah to run the family’s bed and breakfast, Lizzie’s Heritage Inn. As Meri explained in that episode, Bonnie was a caretaker who would have given people shelter at the B&B during the pandemic.
“One of the tenets of our belief system is that we get blessings, which is kind of the word of God in our lives. Mom has had these blessings throughout her life that have told her — and, you know, kind of inspired her — to be that person who people can use as a shelter,” Meri told viewers. “That’s been my mom’s motto her whole life: Just to take people in and take care of people. It’s just who she is.”
Meri says she’s feeling “immense grief.”
Meri opened up on Instagram again on Friday, April 2, as she posted a photo of Bonnie’s memorial pamphlet. “One week ago, just seven days, since I got the heartbreaking call,” the reality star wrote in the caption. “Seven days of hell, of unimaginable pain, of chaos and confusion. Seven days of more tears than I thought were in me. Seven days of wondering, what do I do now? She always told me, when I get the call, I will go, it will be immediate and without warning. She didn’t lie.”
Meri continued: “There was so much left undone. So many things she knew that I don’t. So many questions unanswered. I don’t know how to do this, how to move through the immense grief. This was not in my plan. She was supposed to be here so much longer. I can only hope that since God had a plan for her, he has one for me as well. Because I feel so lost.”