“

Whether casting a line at sunrise or spending quiet hours on the water, that was where he felt most at home and truly happiest.

It is with hearts full of both sorrow and gratitude for his life that we announce the unexpected passing of Matthew Wilson Bonnette, who departed this world on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at the age of twenty-three.

Born on January 8, 2003, Matthew was a beacon of light to all who had the privilege of knowing him. Though his time among us was all too brief, the magnitude of his spirit and the depth of his love created memories that will endure for generations.  An avid outdoorsman, he had a deep love for hunting and fishing. Whether casting a line at sunrise or spending quiet hours on the water, that was where he felt most at home and truly happiest.

Matthew’s family was the anchor of his world. He is mourned by his devoted parents, Dana and Marshall Kinsey, and is remembered by his brothers, John Bonnette (Amelia Rayner) and Philip Bonnette, as well as by his sisters, Kaitlin Still and Hannah Still. His niece, Amber Grubbs, his beloved son, Cole Wilson Bonnette—proof that Matthew’s legacy lives on in the smile and laughter of the next generation. His father, John Curtis Bonette (Cathy), and his grandparents, Christopher S. Lee, Jamie Lee, and Dorthy Ray.

He now joins his grandfathers Philip Dukes and Curtis Ray, grandmother, Wanda Dukes, whose love surely greeted him on the other shore. 

To honor Matthew Wilson Bonnette, family and friends are invited for a visitation on Saturday, August 1, 2026, beginning at 2:00 pm at Thompson Funeral Home, Inc., 1012 Whitman St SE, Orangeburg, SC.  Funeral services will follow at 3:00 P.M. at Thompson Funeral Home Chapel.  Pastor Buddy Bizzell will be officiating. Burial will follow at Ott Cemetery in Branchville.

Memorials in Matthew's memory may be made to a charity of one's choice that supports the outdoors.

May Matthew’s spirit remain alive in all who mourn and remember him, a legacy of love enduring beyond the confines of time.