Ramona Jo Benson Fizzuoglio

Ramona Jo Benson Fizzuoglio, our beautiful mother, sister, aunt, and friend is no longer in pain. Lovingly known as Mona, she went home to be with the Lord on July 16, 2025, after years of navigating health challenges.

Mona was born on January 5, 1959, in Key West, Florida to Jack and Bette Benson. She was the first daughter and fifth child of what would later become a family with eight kids! In her lifetime, Mona called several places ‘home’ -- Missouri, Texas, Maryland, and then Texas again! For Mona, home was always going to be a place near her family.

Family was very important to Mona. She valued time together and sharing stories of the past. She also loved doing genealogical research and discovering new relatives and information to share with her siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Her passion landed her the ‘unofficial’ role of family historian, making sure to collect photos and records of the marriages and births that were growing the Benson family tree.

Mona was a special person. She had a knack for connecting with her neighbors, no matter where she lived. She befriended those around her, and especially enjoyed baking for all of them during the Christmas holidays -- her favorite time of year. If you ever made friends with Mona, you were her friend for life. She made it a point to speak to you and of you fondly as often as she could.

Mona had such a beautiful soul. She was thoughtful and caring. She was passionate about the things that mattered to her and made no apologies for her beliefs. She was fiercely independent yet loved being connected to those she loved. She fought a long hard fight with grace and dignity, and was called home peacefully, listening to music with a cherished cousin by her side.

When going through her belongings, a Bible was found from her teenage years with 1 John 3:18 underlined in the text and written in the back. In her handwriting, “Let us just stop saying we love people, and really show it by our actions.” Suffice it to say, Mona spent her whole life living out that scripture.

Mona was preceded in death by her parents Jack Benson and Bette Benson, and her brothers Terri, Rick, and Robert “Bob”. She is survived by her daughter Kendra Fizzuoglio; sister Shelly Ferrell and husband Rob; brothers: Jack Benson and wife Crystal, Scott Benson and wife Ronda, Mike Benson and wife Melissa. She also leaves behind numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later time, and information will be updated here to include the details. If you would like to share the love and light that Mona brought into this world, consider making a donation to the Asher House animal sanctuary. Information on this nonprofit can be found at: www.theasherhouse.com