Benson, Maria Gunilda (Swenson) (1846-1929)

SWENSON, BENSON, CHRISTENSON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 4/22/2024 at 14:59:11

From Story City Herald August 22, 1929 (page 6)

Obituary of Mrs. Emil Benson

Mary Swenson was born at Christiansand, Norway, and died at Randall August 11, 1929, at the age of 82 years, following a lingering illness. She had been bedfast only a few weeks, and was given the best of care by her children.

She came to America in 1872, and was married to Emil Benson at Chicago, Ill. To this union five children were born, of whom two are dead, one dying in infancy and the other at 21 years.

From Chicago they moved to Michigan and from there to Iowa where they have lived for 53 years. At first they located at Story City and after six years there moved to Randall. At the time of Mrs. Benson's death they had been married 56 years. The last few years they have made their home with their daughter, Mrs. Emily Christenson.

Mrs. Benson was a woman of very quiet ways and one who was fond of reading her Bible.

Besides her aged husband, who is 92 years old, she leaves three children, M. G. Benson, Edwin Benson and Mrs. Emily Christenson, all of Randall, and six grandchildren.

Funeral services were held on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 14th, at one o'clock at the house and two o'clock at the Elim Lutheran church, conducted by the Rev. W. B. Scarvie of Story City, who spoke in English, and Rev. Heidal of Radcliffe, who spoke in Norwegian. Two duets were sung by Mrs. P. G. Pederson and Miss Bertha Tjernagel, and Rev. S. R. Scarvie sang a solo. The flowers were many and beautiful. The pallbearers were H. B. Hanson, John Peterson, Henry G. Pederson, J. P. Anderson, Iver Thompson and B. A. Anderson. Burial took place in the Mount Olive cemetery at Randall.