Cecille H. Benson, 80, passed away on May 2nd, 2024 from complications due to pneumonia.
Cele was born on August 4th, 1943 in El Paso, TX, to Cecil and Marie (Sexton) Herrell. They lived in Las Cruces, NM where Cecil was a radio announcer. Cele met her husband of 58 years, Douglas K. Benson, while attending New Mexico State University. They were married on August 21st, 1965. Doug went on to get a Ph.D. at the University of New Mexico, while Cele worked at Packard Bell.
The couple soon moved to Hastings, Nebraska, where they had two sons, Eric and Craig. In 1980, the whole family moved to Manhattan, Kansas. During this time, Cele stayed home with her two sons.
Cele started her work life again at a yarn shop in downtown Manhattan. She loved the fiber arts, and this job fit her insatiable curiosity about the different ways thread and yarn could be used to create things of beauty. Cele was also apprenticed to Grace Goff in the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program to learn tatting.
Cele also worked at the American Institute of Baking, where she learned all about the “new” desktop computers and the applications needed to make things work. This job not only fit her experience in New Mexico, but also gave yet another place to learn something new.
As time went on, Cele’s body started to rebel. Exposure to polio, chronic fatigue and multiple bouts with pneumonia made her retire early. However, she never stopped learning.
Cele is survived by her sons and their families; Eric (Emily) Benson and Craig (Kelly) Benson; and six grandchildren, Margaret, Josephine, David, Riley, Laura, and Casey. Family meant everything to her.
Funeral services will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Wamego, Kansas, on Monday, May 27th at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the Manhattan Arts Center (MAC) in Manhattan, KS.
Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home 1616 Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, KS 66502, is assisting the family with arrangements