Bonita Douville Thinley, 51; Teacher Personified Courage, Gracious Living

Grit, gracious living and an affinity for other cultures defined Bonita Douville Thinley.

The tall brunette with stunning blue eyes could whip up a sumptuous meal, complete with fine linen, china and silver, to guests in the tiny Alaska fishing village where she lived decades ago.

She could survive 20 years after her cancer was detected with sheer determination, healthful eating and a love of hiking and skiing.

Most of all, she could pass these "can-do" qualities to others by example.

It was a useful ability in a teacher, whose great delight was chaperoning students on trips to China, Mexico, Africa and Europe.

"She didn't tolerate weakness in herself or anyone else either," said her longtime friend, Betty Hurtig. "She didn't let the cancer get her down.

"She taught, `You don't lay back. You say yes to something, then go do it,' " Hurtig said.

"Someone would ask her if she could teach Chinese and she'd say, `I don't know, but I'll try.' She'd study up, then go teach it."

Mrs. Thinley succumbed to cancer last Wednesday, March 13, at her Maple Valley home. She was 51.

Born and reared in Syracuse, N.Y., Mrs. Thinley earned a degree in education at Syracuse University.

In the summers, she traveled to Europe, Tibet, India. She hiked the Himalayas.

She took English-teaching jobs to pay her way. She spent a year teaching at a Tibetan refugee camp in India.

She came to the Seattle area in 1981, and bought a cottage by a river in Maple Valley.

"Bonnie loved being close to mountains," said Tenzing Thinley of Maple Valley, her husband of four years. "She had several jobs here, but recently taught at Kentwood High School."

An avid skier, Mrs. Thinley was a member of the Ski Patrol at Hyak and taught skiing at Crystal Mountain.

She could speak German, French, Spanish and Tibetan, and cooked "wonderful meals" from those cultures and more, Thinley said.

"She had a deep compassion for every culture, and was very persuasive in educating people about those cultures," her husband said. "She could change a lot of people's minds about such things."

Other survivors include her son Michael Douville Jr., Craig, Alaska; her parents, Michael and Evelyn Ciafarrat, and her sister, Margo Hayer, of Weirsdale, Fla.; and her sister Debbie Cleary, Syracuse, N.Y.

No services are planned. Remembrances may go to the Michael Douville Jr. Benevolent Fund, 24425 250th Ave. S.E., Maple Valley, WA, 98038.