Alicia Benda

Born in Winchester, VA. in same hospital as Patsy “Dee” Cline (as Lisa liked to always add), and raised in Shanks near Romney, WVA. 1963-1972 Indianapolis, Indiana.

Lisa is survived by her husband Lawrence C. Peterson and sons Patrick, Chris, Jacob and Matthew all of Colorado Springs, Colorado; mother Helen Rebecca Benda, sisters Deborah (Husband Lee) Thomas and Connie (Husband Dan) Farenger, niece Sarah Farenger and nephews Eric & Allen Farenger, Aaron Smith and Peyton Thomas all of Sterling Heights Michigan.

Lisa is preceded in death by her father David P. Benda.

Her Gran’ma, as she lovingly called her, was Helen Hannas, she spent some of her childhood with her Grandmother and was very near & dear to her and it hurt her deeply when she passed not too long ago..

Married to Lawrence C. Peterson at noon on January 11, 2004 at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, NV with Elvis serenading her with “Love Me Tender” and “The Wonder of You”. Her Dad was so proud of her walking her down the aisle.

In Michigan, Lisa attended Macomb Community College for a year and worked at Noonan Pontiac for several years as a cashier (1978-1985).

Then she worked nearly 19 years with EDS (1985-2004) at General Motors Tech Center, keeping inventory on the computers and PC’s. She also worked in the Auburn Hills Distribution Center during her last few years with EDS, inventorying shipments.

In Colorado Springs, she worked at Cave of the Winds in the Manitou, and a short time with Current and Bed, Bath & Beyond on Woodmen Road.

I would like you to know Lisa as I did. In our many hours of talking on the phone, I jotted down the following notes:

Likes: Favorite Color is Yellow, sandy beaches, the moon, sunsets and sunrise, candles (vanilla, black cherry), watches, bowling (AVG: 120), playing cards (Euchre), sexy lingerie (me too)

Food: No Salt, Spaghetti, RIBS, steaks, fruits, cheesecake, chocolate ice cream, lemon bars

Likes to cook: meatloaf, twice baked potatoes (can’t wait with twice baked potatoes)

Drinks: OJ w/pulp, water/Pepsi/Dr Pepper, Alpine Snow Gatorade, Lime Ice, any beer, Killian’s red on tap

Dislikes: Seafood, broccoli, flying (need to work on this one)

Favorite show: Friends, Frazier, and later Two and a Half Men

Favorite Actor: William Holden, Mel Gibson, and Sean Connery

Favorite actress: Fay Dunaway

Classic Movies: Gone with the Wind, Wizard of OZ, It’s a MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD World, Bridge over River Kiwi, National Lampoon Vacation movies

Favorite Bands: 1) Doors, 2) Led Zeppelin, 3) Jay Giles, 4) Nine Inch Nails, aero smith many times, Kid Rock and loved the song “You are My Sunshine” I would sing it to her often.

Early on in our relationship we would talk for hours on the phone mostly she would talk and I would listen, she always had something interesting to say. When the shuttle Columbia failed we watched the TV together for a day and a half over the phone; she in Michigan and I in Colorado, the same for the WVA miners.

Lisa was very close with me, wanting to be deeply involved in my life and she shared hers the same way with me. She was very interested in the many things of my life and had me tell her all about them.

She loved her cats Chile Pepper, Yogi and Lady Fraya (aka La Day La Fray); independent, but very Loving, just like her. She was deeply saddened at their passing.

Lisa is very fashion conscious and would play “How Do I Look” which she watched often on the TV. She would lay out clothes from the closet or what she just bought or a mix and try different items together including shoes and purses for me to evaluate and critic. It was fun for both of us with her beaming smile. She was recently excited that she had lost some weight and more clothes were now fitting her. Most men had a problem shopping with there wife but she made it fun and exciting for me.

Where we lived in Colorado there were many bunnies around. They were our favorite animal out side our home except for the deer. We would watch them for hours enjoying there romping about. She called them Bun Buns.

Lisa was very Patriotic and proud of all the military especially me. She represented PFC LOUIE JAY TROUTT JR at a VFW Freedom Hill remembrance in October of 1995. Lisa was very compassionate and out going about our armed forces personnel.

Shortly after we were married in 2004, I was diagnosed with cancer. Towards the end of my treatment, I had a couple of hospital visits, once in Colorado and once in Florida; the one in Colorado was Labor Day weekend. I had been in to see the Doc on Thursday and passed out in the doctor’s office, he had Lisa take me directly to Penrose Main the closest hospital. She stayed with me, until I insisted she go home and rest. She knew I desperately wanted to attend the Balloon Classic, and when I was discharged from the hospital she made sure I was in warm clothes and went there Monday morning. Later at the end of September I wanted to go visit my sister in Florida and attend my Air Force 16th SOS reunion, but I was running a high temp. She called my doctor, and off again to the hospital we went, but she knew that I wanted out to the reunion. The doctor said that I needed to remain for 14 days for shots. She called the insurance company and found a place near the reunion that would provide the shots there, and also in Michigan when we went there afterwards. God I love that woman.

Some light hearted moments:

We were on the same side on most things we liked and disliked. One was we both did not like fish and when ever a waiter at a restaurant would mention fish, we would say in unison “Fish are Our Friend not Food!”, like in the movie Finding Nemo.

Her staple movie for Christmas was “Christmas Vacation” and at the part where Chevy Chase starts the rant, she would say it right along with him. I remember when she kept running the tape back and forth to get all the words written down so she could memorize them.

Las Vegas was one of our favorite places, the place where we met and later married. We loved going through every casino to see all the different themes, and of course, her other passion of shopping. She was a different kind of shopper: she liked to look at everything but would only buy what see really wanted, more often then not something inexpensive. She had great taste and always said she loved anything I bought for her, and that I had great taste as well. As much as she hated heights and roller coasters I got her on the New York, New York rollercoaster and Stratosphere Tower, something she said she would never do with anyone else, but she would not go on a helicopter ride. Another place we visited was the Hover Dam, she loved to go visit the Dam and as she would say “take all the Dam pictures and visit the Dam gift shop”. I was hoping this summer to take her on the new bridge and she said “Not me to dam high”. She trusted in me, some times it took a little bit, but she would come around eventually; she even let me hold her shopping bags.

At my Air Force Spectre gunship reunion I got her on board the AC-130 and showed her the different positions we manned during flight. I explained the right scanner position, I showed her the hand held controller that we would use to eject flares for infrared missile defense and explained what we would say on the intercom when we shot off a flare. To prevent mis-communication issues we would say “Pickle” for each firing of a flare instead of FLARE, as flare on the intercom often came across as FIRE (obviously not good on a gunship). So she pushed the button and said “Pickle, Pickle, Pickle” then turned to me and started calling me Pickle as a pet name.

This Memorial Service is a Celebration of Lisa’s Life but I need to say a few more words:

Lisa is My Sunshine. She fills me with life and warms me, heart and soul, with her Love. The loss of the Love of My Life is beyond all words, beyond all feelings I have ever known. There is an emptiness that gnaws and bites with-in. There is no physical hunger, as no amount of food or drink, even if I would or could eat, that would fill the emptiness. The hunger is emotional, the want and need for her with me can not be filled. We had a whole life to live and suddenly she is physically taken away from me. Yes the memories are many and warm, but the warmth of her next to me, her scent, her many hugs and kisses, the beating of her heart I would often hear and feel laying next to her and the sound of her voice is missing, are now but echoes in my mind, and yes it is winter and cold but my body feels colder since she left.

Lisa had an interview on Friday for a job at my work. She was all excited about it to be getting back into the computer world again and closer to me. On Saturday morning she woke early and many times came over and tightly hugged and kissed me saying over and over “I am so excited, I am so excited about the job” and then whisper in my ear “I LOVE YOU.” It is extremely difficulty to comprehend and very painful that half a day later she would be gone from us.

This is a celebration of Alicia Dee Benda. A unique lady loving lady and wife, she is strong and vibrant, full of life. Yes she is often stubborn at times, but strong in her convictions, we would have some issues now and then but the last thing she would always say after an argument would “I’m Not Done Loving You Yet”

Alicia Dee Benda, Lisa, Love of My Life, My SUNSHINE “I‘m not done Loving You Yet”,

I LOVE YOU NOW & FOREVER,

Your Pickle

Arrangements under the direction of Swan-Law Funeral Directors, Colorado Springs, CO.