REMEMBERING MS. ESTHER BONDAREFF: It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Ms. Esther Bondareff, our Zoo's oldest and longest tenured volunteer. Her family says she passed away peacefully Monday night. She was 102-years-old.
As our longest serving docent (nearly the last 30 years), Esther deserves so much credit for helping our Zoo become what it is today. She is also a former Chairwoman of the Zoo's Board of Directors.
A force of nature that kept us all on our toes, Esther was still sharing her time with us as recently as the opening of the Lorikeet Loft. She took great care of our animals over the years and also made sure our staff was well taken care of, underwriting our monthly Esther lunches.
Her family, who held a private service for her Tuesday, shared that she was laid to rest wearing her Zoo docent shirt and her Cornell jacket. We will be memorializing Esther’s service to the Zoo by creating an annual service award named in her honor. It will be awarded to a volunteer who best represents the qualities that made Esther such a gift to our organization. We will all miss Esther and are forever grateful for the indelible mark that she made on the Zoo. FOREVER LOVED.
