Helen Lindquist Bonny, 89, died May 25, 2010, at VNA Hospice House in Vero Beach.
She was born in Rockford, Ill., and lived in Vero Beach.
She was a graduate of Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, the University of Kansas and Union Institute & University, Cincinnati. She was a violinist for 82 years.
She taught music, performed with orchestras and in string quartets and was concertmaster of the Salina, Kan., Symphony Orchestra.
She was an author, educator, researcher and pioneer in music therapy. She developed the “Bonny Method” of guided imagery and music, training therapists in experiencing classical music as a vehicle for psychological and spiritual transformation.
She was director of music therapy at Catholic University, Washington, D.C., created the Institute for Consciousness and Music in Baltimore and The Bonny Foundation for Music-Centered Therapies in Salina.
She was a member of The Community Church, United Church of Christ, Vero Beach.
Survivors include her daughter, Beatrice Stoner of Vero Beach; sons, Erich Bonny of Woodstock, Md., and Francis Bonny of Teaneck, N.J.; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Community Church, 1901 21st St., Vero Beach, FL 32960.
A memorial service will be at a later date. Arrangements for cremation are by Strunk Funeral Home, Vero Beach.
