A Bowie, Maryland, preschool is mourning the sudden loss of a beloved assistant teacher who was found dead in an Annapolis apartment last weekend.
The body of Erica Bonora, 39, was found Saturday at a home in the 1000 block of Spa Road.
“She will be sorely missed. … This hurts very deeply, for our entire community,” said Christin Vare, director of St. Matthew’s Early Education Center, which offers child care as well preschool, pre-K and kindergarten programs.
Bonora worked at the school for 12 years and had a special talent with small children, he said.
“She had an amazing smile and loved to laugh and was a very artistic and creative teacher. … She was very passionate about being a teacher and knew how to play and be silly with the young ones,” Vare said.
Anne Arundel County police said the driver of her car crashed into a tractor-trailer on U.S. Route 50 Saturday in Prince George’s County, while trying to evade police. The driver — who was taken to a hospital after that collision — is a person of interest in Bonora’s death.
The school director said Bonora was especially welcoming to new students and families.
“You would often find her comforting a brand-new student who was nervous. … She could always feel the vulnerabilities of new students and their parents and made sure they felt safe and loved,” Vare said.
