Bonnie Jean Stedt

PINE PLAINS — Bonnie Jean Stedt died peacefully at home on Sept. 5, 2025.

Her body was 81 years old. Her spirit was forever young.

Originally from Southern California, Bonnie began her business management career at I Magnin in San Francisco in 1967. By the early 1970’s, Bonnie had begun career-pathing up the ladder at Filene’s Department Store in Boston. She was promoted often, ultimately to Vice President, Stores and to Senior Vice President, Personnel and Labor Relations. In those early days, Bonnie was widely known as the ’glass ceiling breaker.’

In 1986, Bonnie briefly returned to California to Bullock’s Department Store as Senior Vice President, Operations, before being recruited to and joining the worldwide American Express Company, in 1988, headquartered in Lower Manhattan. She headed Human Resources for American Express for the next 13 years, as Executive Vice President. She met many world leaders and was connected to world events in this position. Her role in shepherding the employees of the AmEx headquarters site, a near neighbor to the Twin Towers, through the 9/11 tragedy, was particularly notable.

Bonnie was an avid equestrian. In her corporate retirement, she loved nothing more than rounding up her three dogs and loading two or three of her magnificent horses into their trailer and driving to horse competitions all over the East coast.

She was a highly successful competitive rider and supporter of the Eventing discipline, the triathlon of equestrian sports. She won many championships and in 2005 was first in the year-end awards for the Northeast Area (USEA Area 1) on her beloved horse Clancy Himself. Additionally she was Vice President of the Millbrook Hunt and foxhunted for over three decades. She owned Foxrace Farm, her personal horse farm. No one was more important to Bonnie than friend and Olympian Boyd Martin. She was an initial syndicate owner and sponsor of Otis Barbotiere, Boyd’s horse for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. This year, 2025, Boyd has many wins on Bonnie’s horse, Miss Lulu Herself, including the Millbrook Horse Trials in August. Her relationship with Boyd and his wife Silva was close to 20 years.

Colleagues and cohorts, described Bonnie in so many different words, but all netted to ‘superb friend,’ ‘wonderfully lively companion to travel the world with,’ ‘smart and funny — never a dull moment,’ ‘appropriately serious when she had to be,’ ‘always full of heart and courage.’

Preceded in death by her father, Arthur R. Stedt, her mother Antoinette Verbraggen Stedt and her brother, Larry Stedt, Bonnie is survived by her niece, Shannon Casey. In her illness she was wonderfully cared for by Carolyn Oakman in Aiken South Carolina.

Bonnie leaves her neighbors in mourning from Pine Plains, New York and in Aiken, South Carolina, her two home locations, as well as good friends from around the whole country.