MT JEWETT

Patricia Louise Benson died and entered into life eternal on March 25, 2015. She was the daughter of Harry Albert and Katherine Margaret (Hagen) Naugle. Pat was born August 26, 1929 in Johnstown, PA. She was raised south of Johnstown in Davidsville. She was the third of six children. She attended Conemaugh Township Schools. She played flute and piccolo in the Conemaugh Township Junior and Senior High School orchestra, the marching band, and the concert band. She also played flute with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. She graduated in June, 1947.
Pat attended the Pittsburgh Art Institute where she studied photography. She worked eight years for the Johnstown Tribune Democrat newspaper.
Pat was baptized, confirmed, sang in the choir, and taught Sunday school in St. David’s Lutheran Church in Davidsville. She wed the Rev. V. Theodore Benson there on June 18, 1955.
During her married life she and her husband lived in Warren, Cambridge Springs, Edinboro, New Castle, Mount Jewett, and the Kane area, all in Pennsylvania where her husband served Lutheran congregations.
As a homemaker she was the mother of three children: Matthew, Andrea, and Kirsten.
While in Mount Jewett she spent approximately 15 years volunteering at the Mount Jewett Memorial Library and served about the same number of years on the Library Board. She was a member of Saint Matthew’s Lutheran Church (Mount Jewett) and the Women of the ELCA. She belonged to the Mount Jewett Book Club. She was the first woman to be elected to the Mount Jewett Borough Council and served one term.
Pat was a Mount Jewett correspondent for the Bradford Era newspaper for a time. She worked for 19 years in food services for the Kane Area School District in both the Kane middle school and the Mount Jewett Elementary School.
Pat is survived by her husband of 59 years. Her son, Matthew T. (Karen) Benson of Kane area; her daughter Andrea L. (Peter Nelson) Benson of Portland, Oregon; and her daughter Kirsten L. (Raymond) Becker of Southhampton, PA. And three grandchildren: Chelsea (Benjamin Mueller) Benson of Hudson, NY; Aaron Benson of Bend, OR; and Kathryn Becker of Southhampton, PA. And great grandchildren Ada and Graham Mueller. Two sisters, Donna Goble of Scottsdale, AZ and Janice Harris of McDonald, PA and a brother Wayne (Diane) Naugle of Hershey, PA.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister Marjorie McKinney and a brother Harry K. Naugle.
Visitation will be Friday, March 27 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm at Cummings Funeral Home in Mount Jewett.
Funeral services will be held at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Mount Jewett on Saturday, March 28 at 10:30 am. The Rev. David Pflieger, Chaplin of the Lutheran Home in Kane, will officiate the service.
Interment will be in the Lebanon Cemetery, Kanesholm.
Memorials may be given to St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Mount Jewett or Lebanon Lutheran Church, PO Box 455, Kane, PA.