A memorial service for Kathy Benson, 91, of Jefferson will be held October 21, 2023, at The Northside Assembly in Jefferson.
Pastor Rod Block will offer words of comfort. The burial will take place at a later date at Jefferson Cemetery.
Kathleen Joan Benson, 91, of Jefferson, died October 16, 2023, in her home in Jefferson with her family around her. She was born on April 9, 1932, to Lawrence Edward and Jesse Mae (Vandruff) Dool on their farm near Hancock. She grew up on the Dool family farm, where she attended high school in Oakland and graduated in 1949.
She met Donald Ralph Benson while in school at Iowa State University in Ames and they were united in marriage on Nov. 22, 1950. Don was farming the family farm near Jefferson where he grew up, and that’s where they started their married life. They were blessed with five children: David, William, Richard, Teresa and Michael.
Don and Kathy had a dairy operation until 1965, and continued to have a diversified farming operation with hogs and cattle over the years. Kathy partnered faithfully with Don in the family farm operation, raising five children and maintaining a home while routinely providing help with field work and other farm operations as needed. She was the farm’s bookkeeper, as well. She was an avid gardener, canning much of her produce every summer, and an excellent baker and cook, skills she learned and honed after beginning their marriage.
Kathy and Don were entrepreneurs. They were always looking for new challenges. The couple met while roller skating, before they started dating, so building a skating rink in Jefferson was a dream come true. Maranatha Skateland was a place where the youth of the community could spend their weekends, and Kathy and Don enjoyed their time operating it, along with the second one they built in Carroll. Even in their later years, they met many people who “grew up” in the skating rinks, and eventually took their own children to them, as well.
Kathy and Don celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Nov. 22, 2015. Don was the love of her life, and they were very seldom apart. Don passed away later that year. Their life together was always full of adventure, on the farm, on many family vacations and many travels they shared in their retirement years. They looked forward every summer to family vacation trips to lakes in Wisconsin and Iowa as well as camping trips to Colorado. Kathy loved the beautiful natural sites of our nation, especially the mountains. Their most memorable excursion she and Don went on in later years was a two-month trip to Alaska in their motor home.
Kathy loved to read, developing her enthusiasm as a child, and maintaining that love throughout her adult life. She especially loved American history. In 1998, she was a “Friend of the Year” to the Friends of the Jefferson Library, spending many hours for many years as a volunteer choosing, delivering and returning library items for the residents of the Jefferson Healthcare Center.
Serving the Lord was very important to Kathy and Don. They were very active in church all their lives. Kathy was an excellent singer, and participated in the choir at the First Baptist Church for many of her younger years, even sometimes serving as a soloist. In their later years, Kathy and Don served extensively at Abundant Life Ministries and then Jefferson Assembly of God Church as leaders and mentors to younger believers and friends through Bible studies and prayer groups in their home, and various church activities. Kathy continued mentoring and encouraging younger believers and friends with similar activities following Don’s death.
Family was Kathy’s most important legacy. She is survived by her children Dave (Karen) Benson of West Lafayette, IN, Bill (Molly) Benson of Carroll, Dick (Denise) Benson of Tulsa, OK, Teri (Paul) Johnson of Deep River, and Mike (Kris) Benson of Jefferson; grandchildren Noah (Joe Pirtle) Benson, Kyle (Erick) Morales, Samantha Benson, Janelle (Justin) Kaiser, Bob Benson, Elizabeth (Carter) Roerick, Jon (Haley Stork) Benson, Dan (Leah) Benson, Matthew (Allison) Benson, Andrew (Becca) Benson, Jenny (Trung) Tran, Ben Altes, Katey (Shane) Thurston, Steven Johnson, Justin (Princess) Benson, Nick (Brooke) Benson and Joe Benson; 14 great- grandchildren (with two on the way) and many, many wonderful friends.
In the truest sense, Kathy was regarded by her family and friends as the true embodiment of Proverbs 31:28: “Her children stand and bless her…!” TLB
Memorials are suggested to Unity Point Hospice or the Jefferson Library. Services by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home, Jefferson.
