Feb. 3, 1919-Feb. 13, 2014
Eva Mae Benson, 95, formerly of Sweet Home, died Feb. 13, 2014 in McMinnville, where she had lived for the past two months.
She was born Feb. 3, 1919 in DeSmet, S.D. to Ross R. and Edna E. Kessell. She moved to Sweet Home with her family in 1932 when they lost their farm in the Dust Bowl. She graduated from Sweet Home Union High School in 1937 and from Oregon State University in 1941 with a degree in home economics education. Her early career included teaching high school in Wolf Creek, in southern Oregon, and being an extension agent in Grants Pass and the sparsely populated southeast corner of Oregon. She hosted a radio show in Grants Pass.
While in Wolf Creek, she married John F. Benson, who was the oldest brother of one of her students.
They moved to Sweet Home after her husband returned from World War II, where they started their family of four children. Mr. Benson worked for the highway department and Linn County Fire Patrol until his untimely death in 1958. Mrs. Benson taught home economics at Sweet Home High School until she retired in 1978.
She was a charter member of Sweet Home Rock and Mineral Society, and a founder of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Sweet Home. She organized anti-littering and city beautification campaigns in the 1950s and was honored with a Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award in 1993.
Mrs. Benson enjoyed calligraphy and paper arts, quilting, sewing, stitchery, card making, gardening, and wildflower hiking in the mountains. She sold hand-made greeting cards, raising more than $11,000 for Sweet Home Emergency Ministries.
Mrs. Benson is survived by her brother, Marvilla Kessell of Salem; daughter Carol and son-in-law Kit Harma of Anacortes, Wash .; son John and daughter-in-law Susan Benson of Seaside; daughter Linda and son-in-law Mike Benson of McMinnville; daughter Laura and son-in-law Steve Gasaway of Newberry, Mich .; three granddaughters; one great-grandson; and countless home economics students.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband John; and brothers Lloyd and Raymond.
A memorial service will be held in Sweet Home in April at a date to be announced. Remembrances can be given to the Sweet Home High School Scholarship Fund or Sweet Home Emergency Ministries. To leave online condolences, visit the Guest Book at http://www.macyandson.com.