Anna Sophie Bender

Anna Bender was born the third child of eight to Karl and Mary (Lefor) Huth on September 30, 1921 in Dickinson, ND and passed away 93 years later on November 2, 2014 at Cottage in the Meadow in Yakima, WA. As a young child, and into her teen years, she lived in the rural area around Lefor and Dickinson, ND.

She attended St. Elizabeth Catholic School in Lefor and completed nine years of schooling. Like many first generation Americans whose families homesteaded in the harsh environments of North Dakota, Mom experienced a childhood of working hard performing duties that children of today find difficult to believe, such as gathering “cow chips” (dried manure) that were burned in wood stoves for heat. She also remembered a time of crops being eaten in a matter of minutes by swarms of millions of locusts that wiped out the entire year’s source of income. Even though work was ever-present, fun and mischief was also part of growing up.

On one occasion, when her parents went to Dickinson, about twenty miles away, it was a full day trip. She and two younger brothers, Karl and John, took the gas motor off their mother’s washing machine and devised a forerunner of today’s go-carts. In her teens, she moved with her family to Billings, MT, where she met Edwin R. Bender at a dance. Mom and Dad were married on March 30, 1940 and celebrated 72 years together before Dad passed away in May 2012. They lived in rural areas of Montana on ranches where Dad broke horses and performed other ranch duties. In the middle of winter in 1942, Mom and Dad sold the few belongings they owned, packed what was left into and strapped onto a Motel “T” Ford and headed toward Washington. It took a liberal dose of courage and probably a lot of foolhardiness to embark on this trip with a toddler and a nursing infant. The trip was certainly Dad’s decision and Mom, being a dutiful and trusting mate, and probably looking toward a new beginning, agreed. They left Montana with $25 in their pockets, nearly worn tires on the car and a box of food. The trip, over the treacherous icy mountain roads of Lolo pass, was difficult. Mom said that if it had been daylight, instead of in the middle of the night when they reached the summit of the pass, Dad would not have tried to make it to the bottom because the road was covered with black ice. Their original destination was to join relatives in Tacoma, but when they got close to Central Washington, they ran out of food and only had enough money for a few gallons of gas, keeping the last twenty-five cents to buy a grilled cheese sandwich for Mom and Dolores, who was a toddler.

Someone told Dad there might be work soon in the Yakima Valley on a farm, so they headed for Yakima, where Mom’s uncle Frank LeFor lived. Mom and the kids spent the night with them and Dad went to Wapato where he found a shack to stay in across from the potato warehouse. He got some cull potatoes to eat for free and then went back to Yakima to get his family. At the warehouse, Dad heard about a job with a Harrah potato farmer who provided a house for the family and agreed to hire him at half wages because he didn’t really need any help yet. In 1943, Mom and Dad moved to Yakima. Dad worked driving cab, delivering wood and coal and any other jobs he could find, earning enough to buy a small house. In 1944, WWII intervened, and at 27 years old, Dad was drafted. Mom sold the house and moved in with her parents who had relocated from Montana to Yakima. Mom worked as a waitress to supplement the $35 or so a month she received as the wife of a soldier with three children. In Dad’s words, Mom was the real hero, holding the family together and raising the kids alone with little money and with the restrictions of wartime rationing of almost everything used or eaten. Dad was discharged on December 8, 1945. When he arrived home, Dad asked Mom to marry him again, this time in a church. Fr. Paul Corkery, S.J. consecrated their marriage at St. Joseph’s Church on February 17, 1946. This was a great gift to Mom, as she was a very virtuous woman and a devout Catholic.

After almost two years of being apart, Mom was once again his full partner and they started again on their life together. They returned to the farmland of the lower valley, this time in White Swan. In the following years, while Dad worked as a farmhand for several ranchers, Mom, besides attending to their growing family of seven children, also worked in the fields to add to their income, hoeing beets, driving tractor and shocking wheat. Later, the family moved to Toppenish. Mom went to work as a line worker in corn and asparagus canneries. In 1964, Mom, Dad and the four youngest still at home, moved to Prosser. Mom went to work at Prosser Pac, which later became Twin City Foods. She retired in 1979 due to health reasons, but retirement didn’t last long. In 1988, Mom and Dad took on the caretaking duties at Camp Roganunda on Chinook Pass. Mom loved living in the mountains, but even there, she worked hard alongside Dad, clearing wood, cutting up and bringing it in to camp for firewood; cleaning the cabins and other buildings and keeping the pool maintained. Those years created fond memories for the entire family. Fall get-togethers at camp meant a lot to all of us, but especially to Mom. She was extremely proud of her family and loved them all dearly, no matter what kind of mischief they got themselves into!

A sign of Mom’s love was demonstrated by the time, energy and devotion she put into making Christmas tree ornaments for every one of her descendents and their spouses each year for 34 years. She only stopped when arthritis crippled her hands. She was a patient and gentle woman who always thought of others first. Even in the days before her death, she didn’t want to call the nurse for any help because, “I don’t want to bother anyone.” She considered the residents of Peachtree Retirement Community part of her extended family and even as she was in Hospice, she thought about them. She encouraged us to take the young children trick-or-treating at Peachtree, because those “older folks” love to see the little ones in their costumes. Although she was not really known for her sense of humor, it came out during her last days. When we were all kids, and when we went someplace as a family, Dad generally had to put gas in the car. Of course, he had to go inside to pay and always had to stop and talk, while the rest of us waited in the car. A few days before Mom died, when asked how she was doing, she replied, “I’m just waiting for Dad to come and get me.” A couple of heartbeats later, she added, “You know how Dad always made us wait!”

Mom had many skills, but none more outstanding than her ability to remember dates. She knew the birth and anniversary dates of every one of her immediate family, down to the youngest great-great-grandchild, as well as most of her nieces, nephews and many others. She maintained this ability up to her death. Mom had a sweet tooth, too. She loved chocolate and especially white chocolate, and loved to make Christmas candy as gifts to her family. Some family members have carried on the tradition of making “Grandma’s” candy for the holidays.

We all have wonderful memories of Mom. When Faith wanted to make a particular outfit for one of her kids, Mom drew the pattern pieces by hand and it fit perfectly; when she made clothes for Connie, she saved the hand sewing for when they went someplace and did it as Dad drove, to save time; when Tammy spent a weekend, and didn’t bring a dress to wear to church, Mom made one for her on Saturday afternoon; after swimming, taking the kids to the Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone; taking Faith and Dorothy to pick cherries to earn money and being left with the tops of the trees after other pickers cleaned off the bottom of the trees, Mom rewarded us when she stopped at the old Carmichael’s Creamery on Fifth and Walnut Avenue and bought each of us a five scoop ice cream cone, with five different flavors! She taught Susie and April how to preserve bread and butter pickles; was the room mother for Tim’s classes and made burnt sugar coffee for him when he worked with Dad as a child; made dresses for a talent show at school for Dot; and took trips to Reno with Miles and Norma. Mom loved to play slot machines, but even more, she loved the trip to and from, seeing the scenery and enjoying Miles and Norma’s company. It is safe to say that every one of her descendents all have similar pleasant memories that will help soothe the pain of losing her.

Anna was predeceased by her husband, Edwin R. Bender; her parents, sisters and spouses Marie (Joseph) Pepper, Elizabeth (Jim) Kennedy and Eleanor Williams; brothers and spouses Carl (Isabel), John (Elsie) and Nick Huth; daughters Dolores McCoy and Sandra Vander Weerd; granddaughters Carrie and Mary Burton; great-grandson Brandon Berrell; great-great grandchildren Angel Munoz and Sophia Rivera; sons-in-law John J. Wentz, Wilbur Wright and Weiger Vander Weerd and several other relatives.

She is survived by her children Faith Wentz of Union Gap, Dorothy Burton (Isaac) and Connie Wright of Yakima, Miles Bender (Norma) of Prosser, Tim Bender (Anne) of Ferndale and sister Genevieve Towey of Gig Harbor, special sister-in-law Irene Schneider of Yakima and brother-in-law David Williams of Gig Harbor. She is also survived by 26 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, 25 great-great grandchildren, four sisters-in-law and many nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Heartfelt thanks go to all the staff at Cottage in the Meadow for taking exceptional care of our mother, with special thanks to nurse Anna. Thanks also to social workers Dave Eichwald and Kate Mastenbrook for all of their support for the family. The family also expresses their thanks to Rosa, for her friendship and the loving care she provided.

Visitation will be Friday, Nov. 14 from 4 pm to 7 pm at Holy Redeemer Church, 1707 S. 3rd Avenue, Yakima, WA, followed by recitation of the Rosary at 7 pm. The funeral Mass will be Saturday, Nov. 15, at 10 am at Holy Redeemer Church. A lunch reception will be held at Holy Redeemer Parish Hall immediately following the burial at Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cottage in the Meadow or to the Building Fund at Holy Redeemer Church, or to the charity of your choice.

To share a memory of Anna, please visit www.lmfuneralhome.com