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Note: Bonnee Myrl Webb was born in San Antonio, Texas. Since her father was a Primitive Baptist preacher who traveled from town to town, she did not
see him a lot while she was growing up. She often commented about what a
sweet man he was and how she missed him after her parents separated. She
always referred to him as "Papa", and cried whenever she heard "Amazing
Grace" because it reminded her of him. She attended school primarily in
Dallas, Texas, graduating from Sunset High School. During high school, she took art lessons several times a week, and after her graduation went
to work as a commercial artist for the Harris Bros. Department Store in Dallas, which in later years became Sanger's and then Foley's. According
to her diary of those years, her favorite pastimes were riding around
with her friends who had cars and going to movies. She married James
Cleatus Dycus in Dallas. Although she had attended Cliff Temple Baptist
Church regularly as a young person, she joined the Kessler Park Methodist
Church with her husband. She continued to work as a model and an artist
for the department store for several years. After the birth of their
son, Steve, in 1941, she became an active mother and housewife, and
participated in many community activities. She and her husband built a
home in the rolling hills of Oak Cliff, overlooking the Steven's Park
Golf Course. When World War II began, and James departed for duty with
the Texas National Guard, they sold their house, and moved into a modest
home, nearby. Sara was born in 1947, and during the 1950's the family
moved into a larger home nearby for their growing family. There were usually several cats and a dog, and often a parakeet in the house as
well. Bonnee continued to use her artistic talents to draw and paint in
watercolors and oils, as well as decorating her home beautifully. If she
thought of a project that needed to be done, such as upholstering a chair
or refinishing a chest, she didn't call a professional, but set about to
learn all about how to do it herself. There was no job she wouldn't
tackle, just for the satisfaction of doing things for herself. She loved
music, and for several years, took adult lessons in playing the piano. As the children grew older, she devoted more and more time to her
painting, attending workshops and selling many of her works. Among the
community leadership roles in which she served during those years were:
board of directors of the Red Cross, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas
Civic Opera Women's Board, Dallas Council of World Affairs, Creative Arts
Center of Dallas, and Visiting Nurses Association; chairman of the Dallas
Flower and Garden Show; president of the Dallas Banker's Wive's Club;
vice-president of the Dallas Art Museum League; president of the Oak
Cliff Women's Golf Association; president of the Kessler-Stevens Book
Club and the Oak Cliff Dinner Dance Club; driver for the transportation
corps of the Dallas Cancer Society; and chairman and director of the
Dallas Symphonic Festival. Despite all of these activites, she found
time to be with her family, serve as a Campfire Girl leader, travel, cook delicious meals, work in the yard, play golf, go out with friends,
and paint. Bonnee and James, or Dyke, as he was called, separated and
divorced after 45 years of marriage. This was a sad time for all of the family. Bonnee opened her own art gallery in Dallas, called Gallery B,
where she sold her work and taught painting lessons. She died only a few
years later from pancreatic cancer. She will be remembered for her
devotion to and love of her family, her beauty, her creativity and
talent, her sense of style and joy for life, and her contagious and musical laughter.
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