Alice Benson

Alice Irene Benson was born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin on June 26, 1926 to Walter and Ivy Stanger. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ladysmith.  She grew up on a family farm outside of Ladysmith and was very active in 4-H while enjoying her extended family.

In 1944 she graduated from Ladysmith High School and eventually moved to Minneapolis where she attended and graduated from Rogers and Benner Minneapolis School of Beauty and Culture in February of 1946. Minneapolis was to become her new home and she worked as a hairstylist at Powers Department Store until she started raising a family in the early 1950’s. In September of 1951, she married Edmund Benson and they moved to Fridley in 1956, where they had 2 sons, Kevin and David.

Alice was an avid sports fan starting in the early 1950’s with the Minnesota Gophers football and basketball teams and eventually, in recent years, women’s athletics. Her sporting interest moved on to the other teams including the Packers, Wisconsin Badgers, Vikings, North Stars, The Wild, Twins and the Minnesota Lynx. Often Alice would send her basketball picks for the NCAA Tournament to Las Vegas with her son Kevin and wife Margaret so she could get in on the action. More often than not, her choices were very accurate and we found ourselves making some of the same bets ourselves! Her sports enthusiasm was not limited to the college and the professional level.  Alice was also a very involved supporter of Fridley High School Athletics and the Hockey Association of Fridley. In the early years of the HAF, you would find Alice and other hockey moms selling coffee and hot chocolate in the warming house between periods at the Fridley Jaycee Rink. Often the dads would be out on the ice scraping the snow off the rink while the players were inside warming their feet.

Grandma Alice would often make bus trips out to South Dakota to visit her son Kevin and wife Margaret and enjoy the grandkids. Alice and husband Ed would also attend the many hockey tournaments their grandkids had in the Minneapolis area over the years.

Alice started working as a cook and baker in the Fridley schools as her 2 sons started to get older. After a few years of moving to different schools, she became a permanent fixture in the Fridley High School kitchen where she retired in 1992.  While working as a baker at the high school, Alice started working as a wedding coordinator at St. Phillips Lutheran Church in Fridley. She did this for over 20 years and enjoyed meeting the many new couples as they made preparations for their big day.

In addition to her work activities, Alice enjoyed lunches with her friends from work, neighbors, and many relatives especially her brother Walter and family, son Kevin and wife Margaret, as well as her grandchildren Dave, John and Sam. She also enjoyed many hours working outdoors in the yard with her beautiful flowering bushes and plants.

Alice was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Walter and Ivy Stanger; 3 brothers, Everette, Kenneth and Walter Jr.; her husband, Edmund; and beloved son, David; and many aunts and uncles. Surviving members of her family include son, Kevin (Margaret); grandsons, David (Andrea), John and Sam Benson (girlfriend, Niki); great-grandchildren, Bennet, Brody and Maria Benson.

Visitation 5-7 PM Wednesday, Jan 9th. at Miller Funeral Home, 6210 Hwy 65 NE, Fridley. Visitation also, Thursday, Jan 10th from 10 AM to 11 AM with Funeral service starting at 11 AM all at St. Philip's Lutheran Church, 6180 Hwy 65 NE, Fridley. Interment at Sunset Cemetery, Mpls..

In lieu of flowers, memorials to Sioux Falls Cares.