Obituary of Cornelia Ruth Bonsignore

LAKE PLACID - Cornelia "Connie" Ruth Bonsignore, 95, died peacefully on May 28, 2013 at the Uihlein Mercy Center, Lake Placid, NY. She was born in Brooklyn on July 7, 1917, to Henry C. and Gaetana (Adamo) Bonsignore, and was raised in the Adirondack Mountains of Lake Placid with her brothers Richard and Victor, who predeceased her. Connie graduated from Lake Placid High School in 1935, and returned to teach there in 1945 after earning a B.S. in K-12 Health and Physical Education, from Sargent College, Boston University. She later earned a Master of Education with Certification in Guidance & Secondary Administration at St. Lawrence University. She also took post-graduate courses in Perceptual Training/Motor Coordination, at SUNY (Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Cortland). While teaching at LPHS, she became known affectionately as "Miss Bon," a name still used today. She was one of the original LPHS Winter Carnival Committee members, remaining dedicated to this event throughout her career. During her last decade of teaching she became widely recognized for developing programs for children with learning disabilities and physical handicaps. She retired in 1973. Connie has always had a love for winter sports. When she was 13 years old, she was the regional speed skating champion and a contender for the 1932 Olympics women's speed skating team. Beginning in 1945 she was a volunteer coordinator for many Lake Placid winter sporting events. After retirement she became a certified luge judge, officiating for the Lake Placid, Calgary and Lillehammer Winter Olympics. She was also a U.S. Olympic Committee delegate, the co-founder and President of the U.S. Luge Federation Foundation, and the Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Luge Association. Other contributions include Chairperson of the North Elba Zoning Board of Appeals, and active membership in Delta Kappa Gamma, an international education society for outstanding women. Connie has often been recognized for her many contributions to sports, education and the community. She was inducted into the Lake Placid Hall of Fame in 1993. That same year she was also honored as the first and only recipient of the 50th LPHS Award for dedicated service. In 2004 she was named Queen of the Winter Carnival with Superintendent Ernie Stretton as King. In 2007 she was the Grand Marshall of the Lake Placid 4th of July Parade, and in 2008 she was celebrated as an Honored Alumni of LPHS. Her last honor was this February when she presented the LPHS Winter Carnival King and Queen with pins and patches from the first Winter Carnival 70 years ago. She is survived by four nieces and their spouses, five grandnieces/nephews, and two great grandnephews. Friends wishing to remember Connie may make memorial contributions to St. Eustace Episcopal Church in Lake Placid. A visitation will be held Monday, June 3, 2013, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Clark Funeral Home, Lake Placid. The memorial service will be held at St. Eustace Episcopal Church, 2450 Main St., Lake Placid, NY 12946 on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow in the North Elba Cemetery, Lake Placid. Immediately following the graveside services a Memorial Celebration will be held for family and friends at Comfort Inn, Lake Placid. Relatives and friends are invited to "light a candle" and share a story, memory and prayer at www.mbclarkfuneralhome.com click obituaries to open site.