Bio-Sketch of Arlene Catherine Benedict by Shirley Arlene Benedict
Arlene was born in Hoskins, Nebraska, January 09, 1924. She lived in Nebraska, & then moved with her family to Eastern Kansas in the Paola, Louisburg area. They lived in the Paola area, and Grand Junction, Colorado. Arlene & her husband Keith raised ten children: Shirley, Kenneth, Damon, Daryl, Esther, Everett, Valentena, Billy, Timmy, Robin. She had 18 grandchildren & 19 great grand-children. After the kids left home, Keith and Arlene lived in Pleasanton, and Topeka, Kansas. They then relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, to be near Shirley, and Robin.
Besides her children, one of her proudest accomplishments was her confirmation as a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church, (Missouri Synod) in the Block, Paola, Kansas area.
Arlene spoke English, but was also fluent in German. Her favorite subject was always religion. When she began her education, she spoke German, and then through necessity, learned English. We have asked Lisa Schlicht to honor Mom’s memory today The Lord’s Prayer in German.
In her younger years, she loved square dancing, and that’s how she and Keith met on Valentine’s night, 1942.
It was raining cats & dogs. After they danced the entire evening, Dad asked her if he could take her home. She didn’t let anyone take her home. She walked.
When they got out to his car, there was a hole in the roof, & you could see through the floor board of the car and see the muddy ground beneath it.
Dad took, his hand, scooped the water off of the seat, & put his sweater on the seat, so mom could sit down. She thought to herself, Arlene what are you getting yourself into?
He told her that she was the one he was going to marry. They drove around Paola until 2am because he wanted a Justice of the Peace so they could get married.
When mom finally got home, after they had talked and talked, she prayed and asked the Lord about this guy.
She told us that for the first time in her life, the Lord answered her & told her this was the man she was supposed to marry. She said this was the first time that the Lord had answered her prayers in such an impactful manner.
Dad served in the US Army in Germany, France, and Italy, while mom figured out how to survive with a baby in Kansas. Nine more would arrive. After the fifth baby, Mom was told not to have nay more children, as it might jeopardize her life. She always placed the babies ahead of her own well-being. I( was number one, Billy was number 8, and Robin was number 10. Billy & Stacie would j ump on their BMW cycles each year and ride from Bend, Oregon to Phoenix to visit with Mom. This year, Mom did not wait for them. She made her journey as they were making their trip.
She could beat the socks off of anyone playing jacks! She was also been a pretty good pitch player. She loves red birds, flowers, and all kinds of pretty things.
Her favorite food, hands down was (at least) a double portion of biscuits and gravy. She thought she could absolutely live on biscuits and gravy.
She loved to sing hymns, and country music. She had a dream of being able to sing on the radio. She was proud of being an accomplished yodeler. Look out once you got her started. We all tried to learn to yodel, but just didn’t have what it took to actually pull it off. It was not uncommon at Cook Care Center to hear mom wheeling through the hallways, yodeling. She would have loved to sing with Dan Seale.
Thursday morning, when I went to Cook to see Mom, she was listening to Pastor Dan. He was telling them that we should all be excited about returning Home. He told them that he was. Mom was shaking her head, yes, as she drank her large cup of cream, with a bit of coffee. When Pastor Dan was finished, I talked with Mom for a bit, and told her I would see her in a couple days. I told her that Robin had been down with pneumonia, and that she would also be out. She was excited that Billy was coming in too.
That night, she laughed, joked with staff at 1130, & then did it her way. She went Home.
She had a cheery disposition, was pretty easy to please. Her Lord and her family came first in her life.
We will miss her, but we know that she is in Heaven and no longer aches. She can walk for the first time in many years. She has been looking forward to this journey Home since she was 16 years old. What a terrific person she was in all our lives.
Her faith in Jesus Christ sustained her throughout her lifetime. We are each, and all thankful for the time that she took to teach us of His importance in our lives.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Shirley Arlene Benedict
