December 3, 2020 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
©
Shelton Mason County Journal. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 32 (32 of 40 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
December 3, 2020 |
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader ![]() |
Page A-32 — Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020
Obituaries
I
. \
Jean Lavonne Benedict
“It takes a to loved members of the SUMC community. Over the years she
spent her
shape — Unknown time promoting the choir, the organ, the bell choir and
the many youth
programs. She was a member of the Shelton United Methodist Women,
Jean Lavonne Benedict was above all an ed— Eve-Circle and an immense
advocate of SUMC Soup and Sound and
ucator. She began her teaching career in 1960, Vacation Bible School.
in Truesdale, Iowa. She taught in classrooms in After several years of
teaching and eventually gaining a Master’s
West Branch, IA, Iowa City, IA, Pacific Grove, Degree in education from
Portland State University she retired from
CA, Westbury, NY, Olympia, WA and Shelton, teaching in the mid 90’s to
spend time with her grandchildren and to
WA. Her love of children resonated loud and begin years of traveling
adventures with her husband Eugene. They
clear. As a young mother she launched various road-tripped for years to
visit family and to see the beautiful parts of
cooperative preschools in an old burned down the North America, including
several trips to Arizona, Iowa, Michigan,
estate in NY, a friend’s cabin in Olympia, WA Tennessee, Alaska, Florida,
and eventually made Jean’s dream trip
and eventually the Shelton cooperative pre- and drove to Maine in the fall
to watch the colors change.
school originally in Kamilche, WA. She spent She was also an avid
sports‘fan, especially college and high school
her retirement years volunteering in her friends sports. She was also a li
fetime supporter of the Seattle Supersonics, De
and grandchildren’s classrooms in Olympia and Shelton, including the
Mariners, and the Seahawks. She was the number one fan for each mt
Bordeaux, Pioneer, Mt. View, Griffin, Hansen, Garfield, and Marshall of
her children, grandchildren, and neighbors, attending thousands be‘
Middle School’s. of youth football, baseball, basketball and volleyball
games and often W?
Known to many as a beloved teacher, Jean was also a patron of the practices
over the years. She was a long-time supporter of the Shelton hu
arts, a treasured local volunteer, a faithful member of the Shelton High
School booster club where she promoted and supported all extra— b,”
United Methodist Church, and a devoted grandmother and mother to curricular
activities for local students. “fl
many. From the words of her closest friend “She was a remarkable per-
Among her passions was the love of the performing arts, including wa
son, always kind, caring, positive, capable, funny and much more . . .
advocating to bring Junior Programs to Shelton, a theater experience ]
she was a joy to be around.” for all local students to attend each year.
She attended many Broad- m0
Jean passed away on November 21, 2020 of natural causes at the way musicals
with her family in Seattle and was a patron to local the- for
age of 81.She was born July 5, in Correctionville, Iowa to George atre
companies in Shelton and Olympia. She hosted many local trav— . Be}
and Mary Rutter, where she spent her early life as a farm girl near eling
groups in her home over the years, and supported all musical 1y
Tilden Township, Iowa until graduating in 1957 from Grand Meadow and
performing arts opportunities for her children and grandchildren.
V'a'
School as one of 10 total students in the graduating class. She spent Her
grandchildren all speak of their favorite memories of attending the Ma
time a youth on her family farm, enjoying time with her many cousins,
Singing Christmas Tree each year with grandma. am
training to play classical piano and the French horn, and as an athlete
Jean wrote the following for her 80th birthday celebration: “I was th‘?
playing basketball, softball, and volleyball while faithfully attending
thinking about a line from Fiddler on the Roof it starts “If 'I were
a rich D a
the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church near Marcus, Iowa. man.” Would I
have grown up on a small farm in Iowa with two fine Ra]
She then attended Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, IA where she parents,
George and Mary who worked hard to make a better life for ' Bel
studied early education and where she met and married a young scien- their
family? They sent me to school, even when the going was tough, Ha‘
tist Lawrence Eickstaedt who lured her away from Iowa in pursuit of for
what they hoped would be a better life for me. I was fortunate to [
higher education opportunities. Jean and Larry lived in Storm Lake, become
a teacher and touch many lives and for that I will always be ' L
IA, West Branch, IA, Palo Alto, CA, where their son John was born in
grateful. So “If I were a rich man,” I feel as though I am among the
1964, Monterey, CA, the College of old Westbury in Long Island, NY, richest
of the rich.”
before settling in near Olympia, WA where Larry took a position as She was
preceded in death by husband, Eugene Benedict, her par-
one of the first faculty of the Evergreen State College. They eventually
ents, her brother Douglas Rutter,
and her sister-in-law Carol Rutter. C
bought a small farm outside of Shelton, WA while adding two more She is
survived by her children, John and Chris Eickstaedt of Shel- hon
children to the family Chris in 1970 and Rachel in 1975. She loved her ton,
WA and Rachel Dreon and her children Roger Schuettke, Mason c
life on the farm where she spent quality time with her children, time Dreon
and Cooper Dreon of Olympia, WA; siblings Tom (Linda) Rut- ter"
i with the many animals, evénings hosting dinner parties for staff and ter
of Cherokee, Iowa, and Betty Rutter of Marcus, Iowa; step-children fin
f friends from the Evergreen State College community, weekends enjoy-
Cheryl Grandstaff and Eugenia Wilson of Norton, OH, J0 Benedict mag]
ing the outdoors and the northwest beaches, and as much time as pos- of
Algona, WA, Dennis Benedict (Joyce) of Holland, MI, Tony Bene- Ole
sible with her new neighbors a d lifelong good friends Mark and Sheila dict
(Prapha) of Shelton, WA, including9 step-grandchildren, 15 great C
Schmidt of Shelton, WA. ' grandchildren and soon to be 3 great great
grandchildren; and extended saic
Jean joined the Shelton United Methodist Church (SUMC) soon family Bonnie
Irwin of Marcus, Iowa and Nancy and Maxcell Spriggs of out
after moving to Shelton, where years later she met husband Eugene Kingsley,
Iowa. ma]
kBenedict while singing in the church choir. She and Eugene were be- deli
c0111
. . . . . t
. LerS Franklin Dean, 67, a res1dent of McCleary, WA, With ties to pu I
Gary way He Ballentlne Mason County and the Shelton Community, died
November 21, 2020, 51::
Gary Wayne Ballentine, 68’ passed away in November, 2020 He at Virginia
Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Arrangements are by c
was a resident of Hoodsport, WA. Gary loved and enjoyed all activi- Forest
Funeral Home and Crematory $811:
tles that, “an”? had to foer- I h 1 Tina Marie Dahl, 64, a resident of
Shelton, died November 20, 2020, She:
Gary ls sumved by hls mqther Elmorpalt‘m’ dau’g ter Jamle Ba at
Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. Arrangements are‘by McComb &
' Sea:
lentine Jones, five Sisters, Kitty Palmer, Sandra Sparkman, Barbara ,
Olson, Betsy Fillicelli and Mary Jenkins, one brother Robert Dalton. wagner
Famfly Funeral Home and crematory' A119
A130, 15fIIieC§S 311(2111119P29YVS, in: 2353192313 nieces and nephews;
1111' William Fisher, 82, a resident of Grapeview, WA, died November
23, 2:5,
.merous men s, an is e ove og iese . ~
' His two brothers Richard Dean and James Ballentine passed away
2020’ at home' Arrangements are by Mécqmb & wagner Famlly
Funeral O
Brim. to his death. Home and Crematory. Had
Grace N McKinney-Neville, 83, a resident of Shelton, died Novem- 32::
ber 20, 2020, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, WA. Arrange- O
M :‘ ments are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory.
has
C gmgfialfdzlte (eligiéngélmi 1:33"): Alana?“
Dagsrlgégz'gEZO' 1? Robert Low, 99, a resident of McCleary, died
November 28, 2020,Aat V a???
e ra ion 0 ma s 1 e is eing e a 1ss10nary lance urc , . - _ Ar t
314 E “J” S tree t, Shelton, W A, Saturday, January 16th, 2021, at 1:30
the Beehive Ass1sted Living fac111ty in McCleary rangemen s are by \
pm McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory.
.Ronald Lee Cox, 79, a resident of Lilliwaup, died November 21, James
Bayly’ 59’ a reSident 0f GrapeVieW’ died Novembfgr 28’ 2020’
2020, at Providence St. Pete’s. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner
at home- Arrangements are by IMccomb & Wagner Famlly Funeral
Family Funeral Home and Crematory. . Home and Crematory.
Randy Lee Wallin, 64, a resident of Shelton, died November 20,
2020, at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Fu-
neral Home and Crematory.
Paula Naikelis, 56, a resident of Hoodsport, died N ovember 29, 2020,
at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home
and Crematory. .