Mary Jo Benson

MARY JO BENSON Mass in honor of Dolores resident Mary Jo Benson will be said at Noon on Wednesday, May 21st at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Dolores. A reception will follow the Mass for friends and family at the church. Mary Jo was born October 27th, 1929 in Whitehall, Ill. the daughter of Joseph and Gertrude (Kester) Suter. She died peacefully May 18, 2008 at her daughter Ellen's home in Dolores at the age of 78. Mary Jo grew up in Springfield, Ill. and she attended school at Sacred Heart Academy, and Marymount College. She married Robert E. Benson September 27th, 1952, and they moved from Springfield, Ill. to Phoenix, Ariz. in 1956. Mary Jo passed on her love for the arts to her eight children and community by example and inspiration. An advocate for the arts and literature, she was a voracious reader, and one of the founding members and president of the Phoenix Little Theatre First Nighters'. She shared her talent as an actress, producer, stage designer and costumer throughout her life. Her appreciation and faith in the potential of what mortals could achieve was a driving force in her life, and felt the artist's obligation was to instill hope and to offer insight and resolution. Mary Jo used her dramatic flair in the mundane and the grand occasions of her life, turning a simple picnic into an elegant affair (despite eight screaming kids in the back of the station wagon.) She was beautiful, self-effacing, and luckily, had the sense of humor to always seek the bright side of life, however trying the circumstance. She will be missed by family and friends, as her presence elevated our lives and history in matters both lofty and practical. Her devotion to our father, and endless efforts to welcome others into our family life and home, taught all of us to be aware of the needs of others, and to value the "ties that bind," in our lives. She was a paradox of intensity and composure; her faith in the potential goodness of humanity, and the intercession of God, created in her a grace and humility, that will be cherished in memory of her forever. "Hail Mary, Full of Grace," and as all the great and enduring mothers, she gave so much of her life to those she loved, and was so loved in return. Surviving Mary Jo are her loving children, Edward Benson of North Carolina, Ellen Benson of Dolores, Gigi Benson of San Francisco, Calif., Mark Benson of Phoenix, Ariz., Matthew Benson of Vallecito, Colo., Trisha McAninch of Lake Tahoe, Calif., and Mary Bridget Benson of Lawrence, Kan.; her devoted sister, Sister Mary Joseph Suter of Los Angeles, Calif.; her brothers, Robert and Bidge Suter; and 19 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years who adored her, Robert E. Benson; her son, Bobby; and her brother, Eddie Mac Suter.