Bonnie Orlove Narod, 79, resident of Kauai, passed away on August 23, 2026, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi after defiantly battling an aggressive form of cancer and enjoying everything she loved in life even during this battle.

Born and raised in East Mount Airy in Philadelphia, Bonnie graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls, affectionately known as Girls’ High, in 1965. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bryn Mawr College in 1969 and her master’s degree in social work from the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research in 1974.

Bonnie’s commitment to caring for others began in high school, when she volunteered as a candy striper, and grew into more than five decades of service in child welfare and healthcare social work. She was a fierce advocate for and protector of vulnerable, abused, and medically fragile children. Over the course of her career, she served children and families through the Inter-Church Child Care Society, Children’s Aid Society, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, KenCrest, and the Montgomery County Office of Children & Youth, from which she retired in 2017.

For Bonnie, social work was more than a profession. It was an expression of who she was: profoundly compassionate, deeply intelligent, and unwavering in her belief that institutions, agencies, and laws must truly serve the people they exist to protect.

Bonnie had a magical depth to her, with an extraordinary capacity for compassion, love, intelligence, and humor. She was not only a mother to her two children. She mothered people wherever she went. Over the years, numerous people said of her, “She was the best friend I ever had.” Bonnie possessed the rare gift of making people feel truly seen, understood, and loved.

She loved people, and she adored her family. She treasured summer family trips to the shore, especially Sea Isle City. She could be stopped in her tracks by a beautiful sunset and loved gazing at the moon, often calling herself a “moon child.” She loved reading novels, seeing the latest movies, dining out with friends, walking along the beach and through Valley Forge Park, and discussing and spiritedly debating politics.

Music filled Bonnie with joy. Her tastes ranged from classical and Motown to rock and the music of the 1980s. She would dance to nearly anything, nearly anywhere.

Bonnie also loved languages. Fluent in French and Spanish, she delighted in using them during family travels to Spain, France, Belgium, and Peru.

In 2024, Bonnie moved to the beautiful island of Kauaʻi with her son and daughter-in-law. There, she enjoyed the island’s tropical breezes, year-round warmth and light, beautiful beaches, luminous sunsets, and moonlit skies while being close to beloved family.

Bonnie is survived by her children, Jennifer Rose Dolinka and Scott Farrell Narod, and their spouses, Miho Miyajima Narod and Benjamin Joel Dolinka. She was predeceased by her parents, Jules and Helen E. Orlove (née Ginsberg); her brother, Mark E. Orlove; and her former husband and lifelong love, Arnold Steven Narod, with whom she raised their two children.

A graveside service will be held at Montefiore Cemetery, 600 Church Road, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, in Section N, with shiva to follow at Samuel A. Green House, 1509 Ashbourne Road, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.