Patricia “Patti” Ermis Bonham, 61, went to be with the Lord on September 4th, 2026. She passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, after a year-long battle with glioblastoma. She will be greatly missed and survived by her beloved husband of 37 years, Jeff; daughter, Morgan and her husband, Mac Gibbons; daughter, Emma; sisters, Jeannie and Cyndi Ermis, and many more treasured family members, cousins, and friends. She is preceded in death by her son, Christopher Teague Bonham and her parents, Vernon and Kate (Kitty) Ermis.

Patti was born on June 24th, 1965, in Fairfield, CA. However, the family soon moved back to Kitty’s hometown of Summerton, SC, so Patti would forever claim South Carolina as her true home. Patti grew up playing basketball, cheerleading, and getting into all kinds of hilarious, small-town mischief with her friends and cousins. She went on to attend the University of South Carolina, where she met Jeff, and the two were married in April of 1989. The Bonham family lived in Augusta; GA, Morton, IL; Farragut, TN; and eventually they landed in what would become their permanent hometown of Franklin, TN.

While Patti took time away from her previous career as a bank teller at Regions Bank to raise her three children, she was excited to go back to work in 2011, returning to Regions. This eventually led her to go back to college to complete her Associates Degree in Accounting at Nashville State. She graduated in 2020 and began working as the bookkeeper for Harpeth Christian Church, where she was an active member. Patti absolutely loved her job and all of the people she got to work with.

Patti’s strong faith was at the core of who she was. She was always an active member of every church she attended, and her quiet routine of reading scripture in the morning over coffee became central to starting her day. She volunteered at Renew Christian Academy, mentoring a small group of middle school girls, led Bible studies, and served and volunteered regularly.

She also loved taking long walks, baking and cooking, practicing yoga, and traveling to visit family across the US, and was excited to begin traveling more abroad after her first trip to Europe with Emma last year. But she just as much enjoyed movie marathons, bonfire chats, or sitting on a porch (preferably in a rocking chair) talking the night away with family and friends.

Honestly, it’s impossible to sum up such a beautiful life in a few short paragraphs. Patti was so much more than the things she did, but she did so much for the people in her life, and that’s because of who she was. Above all, Patti showed us through her constant love, support, advice, listening, friendship, caretaking, serving, planning, and gift-giving that true joy for her was found in community, belonging, friendship, and family.

Patti loved people. She loved her annual Edisto Beach vacation with all of her extended family members and was a huge part of continuing that tradition for over 30 years. She made close friends at every job, in every neighborhood, at every church, and in every school her children attended because she was hilarious and goofy, but also compassionate and attentive. She cared for her husband and children without question, and was the most supportive mother a child could ever ask for, making every birthday and holiday feel special and exciting. She was also so kind and down to earth, having that unique ability to instantly make you feel comfortable and welcome while also making you laugh. She was not just our mom, but a mom to so many.

If we have to sum up Patti, somehow, we’d probably say that her favorite thing about life was making memories with the people around her. Her greatest accomplishment was the relationships she built and the wisdom she has left behind with us all - wisdom we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Patti will never truly be gone, because her generous spirit and words of encouragement still live on in all of us. We are filled with gratitude that we got to experience her love and care while she was here.

The void she has left behind is immense, but she would not want any of us to despair. We invite you to continue honoring Patti’s life by retelling her funniest stories, giving a gag gift, striking up a conversation with a stranger, going out of your way to show someone you care, taking a long walk, or sitting by the ocean for hours. You will find Patti in all of those moments and more.

A celebration of Patti's life will be held on December 5th, at Harpeth Christian Church, 1101 Gardner Dr, Franklin, TN 37064, from 1:00-2:30pm, followed by a short interment at Williamson Memorial, 3009 Columbia Ave, Franklin, TN 37064 at 3:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Glioblastoma Research Organization.