Surgeon Jim Bonnet remembered for impact on medicine and the community
From bringing vascular surgery to the valley to opening the hospital's first dedicated breast center to serving on the founding board of the Glacier Symphony, Bonnett's reach ranged and helped to grow Flathead County's medical capacity and cultural opportunities.
Bonnet died May 6 of cancer in Kalispell, leaving behind a legacy that will be etched into the Flathead Valley. He was 78.
His light will never dim, said longtime friend Gayle Vidal.
"He was more than a blessing, he was such a credit, such a force in the community without really letting people know about it. He just did it quietly because it was the right thing to do," Vidal said.
Now 77 years old, Vidal reflected on the first time she met Jim Bonnet. Gary Robbins, a surgeon and friend of Vidal's, invited her and her husband to a house party on Flathead Lake in their early 20s. Bonnet was Robbin's new surgical partner.
The way Vidal explains it, Bonnet immediately drew people in. The first time she saw him, he was standing in a doorway, wearing an emerald green robe. The first thing he said, Vidal laughed, was "bless you, my friends."
A man from Louisiana, with Cajun roots and a Catholic background, Vidal said it just made perfect sense.
"I looked at my [husband] and said, we have got to get to know this guy better, and we did," she laughed.
From that point on until the day he died, the Vidals and Bonnet talked nearly every day. When Vidal got sick in 2020 and was bound to a wheelchair, she remembers hearing a surprise knock at the door, after they had moved out of Kalispell.
"Who was it but Jim Bonnet," she said.
Bonnet stayed for three days, assisting with daily tasks and helping with medicine. If it reveals anything, Vidal said, it was that Bonnet was an incredible man. An incredible friend.
"I don't know another person like him, a person with that sort of capacity, medical expertise and devotion. The work he did overseas, the work he did here. He truly was amazing," Vidal said.
Born in 1946 in Lafayette, Louisiana, Bonnet's interest in medicine began at an early age. He graduated from the Tulane School of Medicine in 1971 before completing a five-year residency at the University of Southern California.
He then went on to complete a fellowship in peripheral vascular surgery in Australia before joining various medical missions in need of a surgeon, traveling to Nepal, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Bonnet connected with Dr. Gary Robbins while living in California, and, upon his return from overseas, the pair started what turned out to be a 30-year partnership in general and vascular surgery in Kalispell.
"I feel privileged and fortunate to have known him in my life," said Michael Barth, president of the Logan Health Foundation.
In 2002, Bonnet opened an office dedicated to solely breast-related health care after watching his sister Carol's struggle in negotiating her state's medical system for the treatment of breast cancer. In 2009, the endeavor turned into the Bass Breast Center, a coordinated care center on the Logan Health campus.
"We have a breast center at Logan Health because he was a leader," Barth reflected.
Just last year, Bonnet honored his sister's legacy further with a donation to the Logan Health Foundation to start Carol's Fund, an endowment providing essential resources and assistance for breast cancer patients.
For Judy Cowan, one of Bonnet's longtime surgical nurses, his medical expertise and awareness was one of a kind.
"He was an excellent doctor and a great surgeon," Cowan said. "What stands out most to me was his ability to take wonderful care of his patients. He had great hands; he was as talented as the first day he operated with me to the day he retired."
While expanding Kalispell's medical capabilities, Bonnet was also a generous patron of the arts. He served on the board of what is now the Glacier Art Museum and served on the founding board of the Glacier Symphony. Many remember him for his love of music.
Bonnet retired from surgery in 2007. After 14 years of remission from a previous cancer diagnosis in 2009, cancer was found in his throat and was treated aggressively without success. He was preceded in death by his sister, Carol, and his parents.
He is survived by his partner of many years, Patrice LaTourelle.
"We all have an opportunity to be more like Dr. Jim Bonnett, to follow his example, to follow his lead, to find opportunities to quietly give back and make our community stronger in however we see fit," Barth said.
"We all have an opportunity to do our part to make this world a better place like he did."
On Thursday, May 29 there will be "A Gathering of Friends to Pay Tribute to Jim Bonnet, the Man, Medicine and His Music" at 3 p.m. in Room 139 in the Arts & Technology Building at Flathead Valley Community College.
Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@dailyinterlake.com.
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