Helen Rosemary Benitz (Bolivar)'s Obituary
Helen Rosemary (Peterson) Benitz, 83 of Bolivar, MO passed away peacefully on December 12, 2014 in Kirkwood, MO.
Born on May 5, 1931 in Polk County, MO, to Cecil and Merle (Voris) Peterson, Rosie graduated from Halfway High School in 1949. After graduation she moved to Kansas City, MO where she met then married her husband of 50 years, Gordon Benitz on May 6, 1954.
Rosie and Gordon lived in numerous places while he served in the US Army National Guard. In addition to living in Kansas City, they lived in Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Virginia and in 1991 they retired to Bolivar. Rosie was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church, and volunteered more than 5,500 hours of service at Citizens Memorial Hospital over 21 years. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting and sewing, and loved bowling, playing cards and games and spending time with her family and friends. She was an avid bridge player and cherished the friendships this activity brought her. She moved to Butterfield Residential Care in 2012, before moving to St. Louis in September of this year to be near family.
Rosie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her only sister, Dorothy Grant and her husband Bill, and sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Mildred and John Staudenmaier and Lorene and Kenny Gibson, and three nephews.
She is survived by two daughters, Vicki Helling (Larry) of Ellisville, MO, and Nancy Coffin (Jim) of Cheyenne, WY; and son Gary Benitz (Jody) of Falls Church, VA; four granddaughters, Megan Helling of Kansas City, MO; Sarah Mugg (David) of Falls Church, VA; Emilie and Katie Benitz both of Maryland; and one grandson, Scott Coffin of Riverside, CA. She is also survived by step-grandchildren, Sarah Johnson (Bill) of Ft. Worth, TX and Matt Helling (Judy) of Murrells Inlet, SC as well as three step-great grandchildren and five very special nieces, their husbands and families.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial contributions be made to Zion Lutheran Church, Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, P.O. Box 411993, St. Louis, MO 63141, or Lutheran Senior Services Hospice, 1150 Hanley Industrial Ct, St Louis, MO 63144.
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