Katherine Benson

Kathy Benson, 61, of Frederick, Maryland passed away on Monday March 7, 2016 at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore from liver disease complications. Born March 25, 1954, she was the daughter of Betty Tanner McLelland and the late Howard ‘Buddy’ McLelland. Kathy met her husband, James Daniel Benson, at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD; they were married on September 2, 1972 and celebrated their 38th anniversary together before Dan’s passing in 2011.

Kathy worked since the early 1990s as a receptionist and front office manager at Internal Medicine Associates in Frederick, where she built lasting relationships with hundreds of people throughout the community. In her personal time she took pleasure in the outdoors, particularly spending time in her gardens, taking photos and walking in nature with her dogs, Maggie and Molly. She and her late husband took great pride in their grandchildren, and Kathy treasured the time that they spent together watching the little ones grow.

Having raised two children in Urbana, Kathy was very active in that community for more than 15 years and helped to develop the legacy of parks and recreation there that continues to benefit families and youth today. She connected with a tight knit group of mothers at the time that became known as the ‘Birthday Club’. Decades later they still come together to celebrate one another’s lives and were a strong support network for Kathy as she struggled to overcome breast cancer, Lyme’s disease, and other illnesses. As a group they have also absorbed all of the love and energy from which Kathy overflowed.

Kathy remained devoted to her Christian faith, and with her mother, was most recently an active member of the First Christian Church of Boonsboro, MD. With declining health and a move to Frederick, they more regularly attended Sunday services at the Frederick Church of the Brethren.

Kathy was preceded in death by her elder brother Rusty, her father, and her husband. In addition to her mother, she is survived by her daughter Hilari Varnadore, son-in-law Jason, granddaughter Bree Daniel, and grandson Kit Michael of Middletown, MD; and her son Cory Benson, daughter-in-law Veronika, granddaughter Rebecca Roubaix, and grandson Lukas Bruck of Prague in the Czech Republic. Kathy is also survived by her aunt Ruth Beaver of Fort Washington, MD; her aunt Janet Nelson and husband Bernie of Bethany Beach, DE; her aunt Linda Tanner of Bainbridge Island, WA; and numerous cousins and extended family.

The family will receive friends and family at Stauffer Funeral Home in Frederick, MD on Saturday March 26, a day after what would have been her 62nd birthday at 1:00 pm, with a memorial service beginning at 2:00 pm. Following the service, there will be a celebration of life, commemorating Kathy’s fun loving spirit at the Community Center at Shookstown Park. All who wish to reminisce and celebrate her love of life are most welcome to join us.

Kathy’s ashes will be put back into the earth in a private family ceremony. There will be no graveside service. In lieu of flowers, condolences can be made online at staufferfuneralhome.com and donations can be made in Kathy’s honor to SOAR - Supporting Older Adults Through Resources - to help support local services for the elderly (soarfrederick.org/contribute) or to the National Cancer Institute at NIH via the NCI Gift Fund to support ongoing research for the treatment and cure of all cancers (cancer.gov/about-nci/overview/contributing).