Alice Drewry Benson, 91, of Boise, Idaho died February 7, 2021. Cremation is under the direction of Cremation Society of Idaho.
Alice (Sally) Benson (May 1, 1929 – February 7, 2021)
Sally died in hospice care at her son Nate’s house of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. She was 91 years old and lived an exuberant life.
Sally was born on May 1, 1929, in Marinette, Wisconsin to Caroline and Charles Drewry. She was 5th in a family of nine. She loved her parents, brothers, and sisters but her four older brothers could stir the pot, sometimes unmercifully. Sally’s given name was Alice, she was named after her Grandma Jewett; a pretty name until her older brothers started calling her “All Ass”. After that, she started going by Sally.
As a child, Sal was a tomboy who loved horses and enjoyed summers at the family farm in Winooski WI. She didn’t feel that she fitted in with the other girls at school so she started playing hooky with her brother Bing until their Mom caught on. One of Sally’s favorite memories was when her older brothers, Hugh, Dave, and Bing were overseas during WWII, and she got to take on more responsibility on the farm. She helped the hired man on the “hill”, driving the horses while he dealt with the hay. She felt liberated. She went to the local community college and then to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she got a degree in art.
While studying at the UW, she lived in Chadborne Hall where her future husband, Ken, was the janitor. She took an interest in Ken, but not the type of interest Ken wanted; she was trying to set him up with a friend. Eventually, he was able to change her mind.
Ken and Sally were married on June 23, 1951, and one month later Ken was sent overseas to Pusan, Korea. Ken was able to cobble enough money together for a one-way passage for Sally to take an ocean liner to Tokyo. Ken was stationed in Tokyo for the last four months of his tour of duty and Sal was able to stay with him. They were able to travel around Japan during this time and she fell in love with the country. Returning Sal to the US was a bit of a problem, but eventually, Ken was able to secure passage on the same troopship he was on to the US.
Ken and Sal were married 67 years until Ken’s death on February 10, 2019. Their stay in Tokyo inspired a sense of travel and adventure. Later in their lives, they traveled the world visiting China and exploring the Silk Road, going to Kenya and Uganda to see the African savannah and visiting the gorillas in the mist, spending time in London at the Sloane Club, touring New Zealand and Australia with their son Jon, trips to Sweden to visit Ken’s relatives, and visiting Rio de Janeiro and the Pantanal with their son Nate. Sal and her daughter Liz toured England and Scotland. These were just some of Sal’s many adventures.
After returning from Japan, Sally and Ken lived in DeForest WI for a few years and then moved to Sheboygan WI. Sally had her hands full with raising five kids. In Sheboygan, the family moved into the Blackstock House, a beautiful but neglected Victorian home built in 1882. Mom renovated the home bringing it back to its past beauty and Sal and Ken raised their family there. She was on the Sheboygan city planning commission and was active in the Sheboygan schools.
She developed her talents as a florist eventually running a small business focusing mostly on floral arrangements for weddings.
After Ken’s retirement, Ken and Sally moved to Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina where they learned to sail, enjoyed boogie boarding in the Atlantic Ocean, and Sally loved being able to garden 9 months of the year. It was while living there that Sally became a Master Gardener. They joined St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church and were instrumental in constructing St. Francis’ first building. Sally was the lead on the architect and landscaping committees. Sally and Ken loved having their grandchildren visit them in Pine Knoll Shores.
In 2007, Sally and Ken moved to Boise, Idaho to live closer to their youngest son Nate and his family. They enjoyed attending their grandchildren’s sporting events as well as family gatherings.
Sally had incredible energy and fortitude, a tenacious spirit, a sense of aesthetics, and an amazing gift of bringing the natural beauty out of the materials and landscapes she worked with. Sally will be deeply missed by her children Jennifer Benson, Elizabeth Benson Forer (Dan Forer), Kenneth Benson (Lavonne Benson), Jonathan Benson, Nathan Benson (Jessica Benson), and seven grandsons – Benjamin Forer, Nathaniel Forer, Carl Benson, Dylan Benson, Elijah Benson, Alex Benson, and Isaac Benson.
The Benson Family thanks the loving staff of Keystone Hospice for their support. We’ve greatly appreciated Tanya’s daily assistance, humor, and advice, and Michele’s weekly massages. We also want to thank the staff of The Terraces of Boise where Mom was in memory care for two years. Kevin was always there to help and Rachel helped us Facetime with mom during the pandemic.
Cremation is under the direction of the Idaho Cremation Society. A service for Sally will be planned at a later date in Wisconsin. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite non-profit in Sally’s name.