Marian E Benson

Along with her brother Robert, Marian’s early childhood and youth were spent on a cattle ranch near Gooding, Idaho where her parents Ethel and Ben Kilbourn were pioneer cattle ranchers. She received an undergraduate degree from the University of Idaho where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, social fraternity and Kappa Delta Pi, National education Honorary. She received a master’s degree in Business Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in NYC.

In the years intervening and following she worked as a legal secretary in San Francisco, California and taught business subjects at Bainbridge Island High School in Winslow, Washington and at Washington State College, Pullman, Washington, then moving, as homemaker, to Denton, Texas in 1953. She was President of the Denton Unitarian Fellowship and Administrator of the Denton Association of Student Helpers, a program for College students to act as mentors in the public school System, and held leadership roles in many of the activities and interests of her children.

In 1973 Marian joined the staff of the North Texas State University Center for Community Service serving principally as the Associate Director for the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program. Retirement ensued in 1989 to a still very-active life devoted to outdoor activities, travel, and care of family and friends until moving to the Eagles Trace retirement home in Houston, Texas in 2014.

Marian is survived by sons Warren (wife Suze), and Roger (wife Sandy), grandchildren Erin Bryant (husband Alex), Mirriah Beck (husband John), Benjamin Benson (wife Laura), Julia Benson and John Benson, and great grandchildren J.T. Beck, George, Jack, and Beau Bryant, and nephews Randy, David, and Jimmy Kilbourn.

She will be remembered for her life-outlook that there should be nothing we are afraid to try; while, at the same time, making it clear that she would love us not any less if we stumbled. She made of life a grand adventure, and it made of her, a great tour guide.

An informal gathering of family will be held in her memory at a later date.