Kathy Bonilla, a longtime spokeswoman for Fresno City College who was well-known for her cheerful demeanor and attention to detail, died Saturday. She was 63.

Bonilla’s 32-year career with Fresno City College ended with her unexpected death after a surgical procedure.

A memorial service has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the college’s Old Administration Building. A reception will follow in the OAB.

Kathy Bargas Bonilla, a native of Merced and graduate of Merced High School, grew up in a single-parent household after her father died when she was a young girl. She and her brother were the first generation in their family to earn college degrees, said Cris Monahan-Bremer, Fresno City College’s marketing director.

Former TV News Producer 

According to her LinkedIn profile, Bonilla earned a bachelor of arts in communications from Saint Mary’s College of California in the East Bay city of Moraga in 1983. She worked as a news producer on the assignment desk of KJEO (now KGPE Channel 47) from 1986 to 1988 and then as a news producer for KSEE-TV 24 from 1988 to 1991.

Monahan-Bremer said Bonilla was hired as Fresno City College’s public information officer by then-FCC President Brice Harris, who would later become chancellor of the state’s community college system.

‘What Would Kathy Think?’

Bonilla was a consummate professional with high standards, which meant that every news release, flyer, script or other piece of written material was edited to be error-free, Monahan-Bremer said.

“She was also really exceptionally creative about writing headlines. And we’ll just really miss her constant input and guidance. You know, I’m the marketing director at the college. But she was really in charge. I would always tell her she was the boss.”

Monahan-Bremer said Bonilla was the “czar of commencement,” working with a planning committee every year and making sure that protocols and traditions were upheld.

Until recently, she had adhered to a more conservative view about what was appropriate, and what was not. Not appropriate: decorating caps.

Bonilla, who was very traditional, wanted the ceremony to be dignified and to maintain its integrity, and decorated caps violated her sense of decorum, Monahan-Bremer recalled.

“And so all of us were like, ‘Oh my gosh, they do it at Stanford and they do it at Cal.’ No, they’re not decorating their caps. I can’t remember exactly what transpired, but in the last two years, we’ve allowed students to decorate their caps. It took a long time to convince her otherwise.”

Pride in Her Heritage

Bonilla was proud of her Mexican heritage, and Monahan-Bremer said it seems providential that Bonilla’s memorial service will be on Monday, which is Mexican Independence Day. She said she and other college officials plan to wear at Monday’s memorial the same traditional Mexican blouse with embroidered flowers that Bonilla would wear to celebrate her heritage.

Bonilla also was a big “Star Wars” fan, with a large collection of figurines in her office, Monahan-Bremer said. Her favorite character was Yoda, and Bonilla kept one of Yoda’s best-known sayings on a Post-it note at her computer: “No. Try not. Do … or do not. There is no try.”

She is survived by her husband, Jesse, and their daughter, Angelina. Her family has planned a funeral Mass and Rosary on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory Church, 2918 N. West Ave.