Obituary of Ida Bouno

Ida Bouno Obituary July 4, 1933 - August 10, 2022 Ida Bouno,89, a resident of Applewood Retirement Community in Freehold, New Jersey, passed into the eternal presence of God on August 10, 2022. The family and friends of Ida deeply mourn her passing. Born in New York City on Independence Day, July 4, 1933, to William and Ida Haubold, Ida grew up under the watchful eye of her older sister Ruth, as their mother rarely went out. Having moved around NYC numerous times, the family eventually settled in Manhattan where the sisters attended Washington Irving High School. As a talented art student, Ida traveled to Italy on a scholarship grant. Artwork became her lifelong pursuit as both a career and personal hobby. After returning to the States, she married Paul Bouno, her husband of 55 years. She taught art at UCLA and Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, where many of her students won awards and contests. While Ida and Paul did not have children of their own, they were the beloved aunt and uncle to the eight children of her sister Ruth and husband Louis Vidotto, as well as to all of Paul's nieces and nephews who resided in New York and Louisiana. Ida also acted as a surrogate mother to the many canine rescues which Paul brought home to their apartment in Brooklyn. One particular German Shepherd named Sheba, who became her beloved companion, was very protective of her. On one occasion, when cooking a ravioli dinner, Paul yelled at Ida in his animated Italian manner. Sheba barked at him until he stopped yelling, and Ida decided to let Paul cook the pasta his way. In fact, Ida was quite content to let Paul handle the food preparation. Later, living at Applewood as a widow, his meals were one of the things she greatly missed. When we were kids and occasionally visited at their Brooklyn apartment, we were warmly surrounded with her colorful art. The walls were hung with her large original paintings. One of the favorite activities Ida provided to visiting family was her home art studio where she set up paint and paper and encouraged us to create masterpieces to our heart's content. As time went by, Ida and Paul also ended up owning an extensive clock collection, many of which chimed together. At least once she had explained how long it would take to reset all the clocks manually for Daylight Savings Time. After many years in the Brooklyn, Ida and Paul bought their first house and moved to Marlboro, New Jersey. During those more restful years, Ida enjoyed painting on canvases outdoors. She also enjoyed drawing and writing poetry. A collection of her poems was published. After Paul's passing in 2017, Ida moved to Applewood, with the ongoing assistance of family members, Robert and Anne Festa. Hearing or reading this, you may not know me, but I am one of her nieces, the namesake of my mother Ruth. So I was usually called Ruthie. On a personal note, I adored my Aunt Ida and already miss her tremendously. I had taken to calling her auntie, so she started calling me niece-y. When I called her to tell her I just wanted to say hi, I went on talking about this and that. She replied that I was sure taking a long time to say hi. That was her sense of humor. Also, she was kind and generous. She had visited our family in New Mexico when our sons were kids. During that visit, she was going to watch me ride my horse. However, just ahead of us our oldest son had an accident on his bicycle and suffered a concussion. So, instead she went with us on the trip to the ER and shared our concern. Another time she came west, which was the last time that proved possible, she went with my sister Miriam and Mom and me on a trip to Santa Fe. She had so much fun because Miriam was quite the ham and Mom was always so boisterous. Ida was the quiet one, but she had a wonderful laugh too. Except for one visit to see her in New Jersey in 2018, our remaining visits were via phone. She was not one to talk about herself. Her faith in God was very private, but I remember attending church with her on a visit back in the 80's. She greatly loved the church music and reverent atmosphere. Her style was expressive about others but subdued about herself. As she always downplayed any concern regarding herself, I consider her one of the humblest people I have ever known and loved. She also had certain charming manners. Over the phone, she encouraged and advised my writing efforts, using the best of her well-practiced teacher tones. One of her favorite exclamations was "magnificent." And she always asked about our dogs and my husband Tom, in that order. My last contact with her in the hospital the week before she passed, she asked again. In spite of her pain, she was able to laugh as something I said struck her as funny. We laughed together, and I will treasure the memory. Other family members hold their own special thoughts and memories of Ida. She and Paul spent the holidays with his family and they also spent time with friends who they cherished for years. Ida and Paul navigated through many age groups. Many of their friends were younger and benefited by their wisdom. Ida is survived by too many family members to mention here and friends who will always remember her for her kindness, generosity and gentle manner. We are happy that she is with Our Lord Jesus for Eternity.