Bonnie Lou Jirles, 89, of Cambridge, died Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, at the Morrison House, Zanesville. Bonnie was born May 4, 1930, in Middlebourne, to Harry V. and Ada Casterline - her mother died when she was just three days old. It was the Depression era and there were other young children at home. Bonnie was adopted by close family friends, Frank and Lillian (Rice) Jirles. They raised Bonnie and she was their only child. Frank and Lillian gave Bonnie so much love, guidance, and an education so the she could later teach. They also brought Bonnie up in a Christian home and set an example of how to live a Christian life. Praise God for such wonderful parents. Some 60 years later, Bonnie's biological siblings reached out to her and they were reunited. Bonnie was a lifelong Cambridge resident, graduating from Cambridge High School in 1948. Then, due to the influence of her own second-grade teacher, Miss Kathryn Booth, she enrolled at Muskingum College and earned her degree in teacher education in 1952. As fate would have it, she herself became a second-grade teacher in the then "new" Lincoln Elementary School. Bonnie devoted her entire career of 38 years to Lincoln Elementary and its students. As a testament to her dedication, she was named "Teacher of the Year" by Cambridge City Schools and named "Outstanding Educator" by the Zanesville Area Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. Her area roots are also evident in her lifelong active membership with the Faith United Methodist Church. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four sisters and two brothers. She is survived by her half-brother, Vernon Casterline, of Cambridge; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.