Gloria June Benson

She graduated from the Zion-Benton Township High School in Zion IL. in 1944. After graduating she worked at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Gloria was a member of the Grace Missionary Church in Zion where she was very active in their many programs and was married there on January 16, 1945 to Al Benson after he returned from serving in Italy with the Army Air Force during World War II.

They bought a house in Zion and started raising their family with two boys (Terry and Barry). This was interrupted in 1954 by the closing of Al’s American Can company plant, forcing them to move to Pen Yan, NY where he worked in the Geneva, New York office. There they added a third child (Loren) to their family. After making a home for her family in New York, Al’s Company moved them back to Illinois where she had to make a home again for them there adding another son (Donald). After six years in Illinois, the company transferred them to New Jersey where, again, Gloria had to get the boys into a new school, find new doctors and make a home for them. Twelve years were spent in New Jersey where the fifth son (Corey) was born. Again, the company decided to move the engineering unit back to Barrington, Illinois where she was able to remain until Al’s retirement in 1989 from the American National Can Company. She moved to Raleigh, NC to be close to three of their five sons who also lived in North Carolina.

Gloria was an exceptional homemaker, child care expert, and loving wife, able to cope with the many problems that came with moving her family so many times. In each place that the Lord put her, she was faithful to see that all of her sons were exposed to the teachings of Jesus both at home and in the many churches that were attended in spite of the fact that Al had to be gone on seminar teaching and troubleshooting trips for a week or two at a time. The names of the churches were not as important as the fact that God had proved when He said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee”. He proved this all through her life in every place that He put her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her only brother Charles C. King and a grandson Jonathan, who was taken at age 9 by a congenital disease.

She is survived by her husband Al, sons Terry (Danielle) of Matthews, NC; Barry (Kathleen) of Temecula, CA; Loren (Cindy) of The Woodlands, TX; Donald (Angela) of Willow Springs, NC; and Corey (Donna) of Cary, NC and ten grandchildren: Rachelle (Ryan) Watkins of Matthews, NC; Katie Benson, Matthews, NC; Bailey Benson of Temecula, CA; Kristin (John) Bate of Belton, Texas; Megan (Chris) Stevens of Toronto, Canada; Brandon Benson of Nashville, Tennessee; Shanna Benson of Willow Springs, NC; Bryan, Emily and Gracyn Benson of Cary, NC; and five great grandchildren: Jonathan and Isabelle Watkins of Matthews, NC and Ethan and Owen Bate of Belton, Texas and Phineas Stevens of Toronto, Canada.

Gloria was a member of the Edenton Street United Church in Raleigh, NC since 1990.