Josephine C. Ploger Benik

When Josephine C. Benik walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Josephine was and how she impacted those around her. Josephine was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Josephine wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Josephine was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

She was the daughter of John and Margaret Ploger. Josephine was raised in Chicago, Illinois. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Josephine might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Josephine was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Josephine was raised with five siblings. She had two sister; Marge and Fran, and three brothers; John, Hank and Clem. Josephine was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Josephine was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Josephine well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Josephine was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Josephine was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. She loved dancing at the Shady Tree Inn, in Willow Springs, Illinois. In her spare time she loved reading. She would curl up with a good book, while enjoying a pickle or candybar. Josephine had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

During her high school years, Josephine responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She attended her 1st year of high school at Visitation Catholic High School in Chicago, her 3rd year at St. Joseph Academy Boarding School in Adrian, Michigan. For her 4th year it was back to Chicago at Academy Catholic High School, then in the second half of senior year transferred to Calument High School where she graduated in 1938. Josephine was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Josephine absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Josephine, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Josephine a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. Josephines brother Hank was being picked on so she sat on the bully while Fran beat him up.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Josephine was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Josephine was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, her best friend was Rosemary Richmond. Josephine also enjoyed the friendship of her three cousins, Clem, Al and Bert. They moved in with Josephine's family when their parents passed away. Teenagers in the neighborhood formed a dance group in their basements. It was called the "Swing Club", and Clem provided the record player.

On September 1, 1941 Josephine married Anthony A. Benik at St. Killian's Catholic Church of Chicago, Illinois. Josephine's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Anthony's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Josephine was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Josephine was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Josephine, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Benik home. Josephine's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Josephine and Tony were blessed with nine children Richard, Carol, Linda, John, Bruce, JoAnne, Tony, Mike and Gary. They were also blessed with thirty four grandchildren.

Josephine was determined to learn to drive a car, so she taught herself in a little "Crosley Car". Both her kids, as well as her sister Fran's kids would cram into that little car after she learned to drive.

Josephine was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Josephine's Greatest and Biggest Accomplishment was being a loving wife and a wonderful mother of those nine children. Josephine was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Josephine had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Josephine's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Josephine loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. She loved reading books her entire life, and could easily finish any book from front to back within just a few days. Josephine also enjoyed painting and could sell them for amounts of $10.00 up to $20.00. She had an artistic way with ceramics also. Josephine had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Josephine's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Throughout her life, Josephine was actively involved in professional and community organizations. She was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Josephine seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Josephine usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with her, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Later in life, Josephine was always looking for something to do. Traveling, painting and shopping for the most economical price. At seventy five years of age, she enjoyed hot air ballooning, and then wanted to go skydiving.

Josephine's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Josephine took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included Spain and driving to Minnesota and Wisconsin. She loved traveling to Yosemite, Rocky Mountains Florida, Estes Park and Canada.

Josephine was a lover of animals.The children's pets were an owl, chicken, geese, cats and dogs. A catfish and a Northern pike were kept in a tub, or swimming pools.

She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Josephine to master. During her retirement years, she stayed close to family as she resided at Meadowbrook Nursing Home, in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Even in retirement, Josephine continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Josephine Benik passed away on January 18, 2011 at Adventist Hospital, in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Josephine. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Josephine Benik for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Josephine was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.

Josephine C. Benik, nee Ploger, age 90, beloved wife of the late Anthony A. Benik; devoted mother of Richard "Dick" (Kathy) Benik, Linda (Orville "Chipper") Jarrard, John (Mary) Benik, Bruce (Loretta) Benik, JoAnne (Ken) Kottke, Anthony (Deirdre) Benik, Michael (Karen) Benik, Gary Benik and the late Carol "Cookie" (Peter) McLaren. Cherished grandmother of 34 and great grandmother of many. Dear sister of Frances Carr and John (Pat) Ploger. Fond aunt of many.

Please see the left side of this memorial page for service information.