Sylvia Ann (Hemry) Benson May 30, 1938 - November 10, 2023

Sylvia Ann (Hemry) Benson was born May 30, 1938, passed away on November 10, 2023, in Spanish Fork, Utah. Sylvia was born in Canton, Missouri to Charles Strickler Hemry and Helen Louise Osborn. Her father was in the Army, commanding a CCC camp in Canton. They moved not long after she was born to Ft. Sheridan, IL, and from there her father deployed to fight in the South Pacific during the Second World War, ending up in the Philippines.

Following the end of the war, her father retired from the Army, and the family moved to Malibu, California where they owned and operated the Sea-Esta Motel. Sylvia attended and graduated from Santa Monica High School. Sylvia graduated from Schaffer College to qualify as a secretary, and she worked as a secretary for a while. It was during this time that she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sylvia later attended Brigham Young University to study Elementary Education. She completed her student teaching in Tooele, UT, and accepted a position teaching elementary school in Carlsbad, California where she taught for 10 years.

While living in Carlsbad, she met Leon Carl Benson at one of the single adult activities. They dated for a year and then married in Carlsbad, on October 19, 1973. They were sealed a year later in the Los Angeles Temple. Her husband Leon was also an elementary school teacher in El Cajon, California. They lived in Mira Mesa, California for four years.

They were blessed with a baby boy, January 10, 1975 whom they named Michael Leon Benson. Very sadly though, he only lived 2 and half days, and passed away. What a heartbreak it was.

They were unable to have any more children, so they adopted a handsome baby boy, about one month old, who had been born on August 29, 1976, whom they named David Carl Benson. What a joy he was and always has been. Almost two years later they adopted a beautiful baby girl, in El Cajon, California, only two days old, who had been born on May 21, 1978. She blessed them then until now. They were all sealed together in the Los Angeles Temple.

Shortly after adopting Melodee, they moved to El Cajon, California where they lived until the year 2000. While in El Cajon, California, Sylvia worked hard as a stay at home mom, but she has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She worked as a representative salesperson for Bright Music, started and ran a popular preschool out of their home, and took a leading role in emergency preparedness and food storage. Sylvia was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and held many callings, including serving as the Stake Relief Society President for the El Cajon, California Stake.

In 2000, they moved to Payson, UT, Leon’s hometown, and built a home on 500 S., where they lived until 2022. David and Melodee have since married, Melodee has five wonderful children, three girls and two boys. David has four beautiful children, three boys and one girl. David and his family live in Holly Springs, North Carolina, and Melodee and her family live in Annapolis, Maryland.

Both of their children came and lived with Sylvia in the Payson home, and felt Sylvia’s love. Melodee and her children lived with Sylvia and Leon for a year while her husband, Nathan Seaman, deployed to Afghanistan. David and his family lived there while he completed his education, and his wife Jenny Benson has always said it was a testament to Sylvia that a daughter and a law could live with her mother-in-law and have a better relationship for it.

They all cherish the memories they made.

Sylvia and Leon served a mission to the Halifax, Canada mission in the Canadian Maritimes in 2007-08. They served their entire mission in the Amherst Branch, where they walked with a small church group, and came to know and love the people there. They opened their home to many missionaries who served with them, and who remain in their heart.

Leon and Sylvia just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on the 19th of October, 2023. They have had a wonderful life together. We will miss our Wife, sweetheart, Mother, and Grandmother so very much. She was the love of our lives and the best of everything to us all.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at Walker Funeral Home, 587 South 100 West, Payson, Utah.  A visitation will be held in the same location from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the same location prior to the service.  Interment will take place in the Payson City Cemetery following the funeral.

Livestream – Sylvia Ann Benson