Fern Benson
Join us in celebrating Fern—please share your stories and photos, and help spread the word about this page!
Josie Fern Scoresby Benson, age 95, passed away at home from natural causes on May 3, 2021. She was born on January 24, 1926 in Idaho Falls, Idaho to Johanna Lindholm Horman and Clifford Norman Scoresby. She was their first child and the oldest of 10 children.
Fern excelled in school at a young age and was often asked by her teacher in the 1st grade to help the other students who were having trouble. She was so far ahead of her class the next year that she skipped 3rd grade. She graduated from Ricks College in the spring of 1945 in the only all-female graduating class in the school's history. She loved learning all throughout her life. She taught grade school before she was married.
She met J Lynn Benson in February 1946 and they were married on June 20th of that same year in the Idaho Falls Temple. They had a wonderful marriage of 61 years before Lynn's passing on Nov. 11, 2007.
Fern served a mission with her husband to Nauvoo, Illinois from April 1982-October 1983. Their assignment was to perform skits and variety shows in the Cultural Hall. They also served a short-term mission to Independence, Missouri in the summer of 1984.
She was a staunch supporter of her husband during his career and as owner of the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone, MT. She popped tons of popcorn during their years at the theatre. She also made sure that any member of the cast, who had a birthday during their summer in West, had a "made from scratch" three-layer birthday cake and homemade ice cream.
She had an amazing memory and knew the names and birthdates of all of her children, grandchildren, and her great grandchildren as well as her brothers and sisters and most of her nieces and nephews. Her family members always received a birthday card from her on their birthdays.
She had a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was an avid reader of anything gospel related. She had already read 22 books this year. She served in many callings in the church, including an assistant Matron in the Idaho Falls Temple when her husband was in the Temple Presidency. She was a faithful visiting teacher/ministering sister in her ward and recently went to minister to her sisters. She loved doing family history research, had found the names of hundreds of her ancestors, and was responsible for having their temple work completed. She also loved finding the histories of her ancestors as well as her husband's. She was also a member of the DUP.
She loved making ice cream and her family and friends were the happy recipients of it! She loved cooking and liked to try new recipes and had just found a new one that she was anxious to try. She always had some kind of homemade treat on hand to share with visitors. She was still making whole wheat bread up until her passing. She always had chocolate on hand. She said that that was her secret for a long life.
Fern loved to sew and sewed most of her girl's clothing while they were growing up. She instilled a love of sewing in each one of them. She sewed countless costumes for the Playmill. She perfected her crocheting ability while on her mission to Nauvoo. She crocheted afghans for each of her children, all of her grandchildren, and for many of her great grandchildren.
Fern is survived by her children, Cynthia (Byron) Lovell, Lloyd (Suzanne), Bruce (Renee), Lynda (Don) Sparrow, Paula (Ferron) Sonderegger, Jolene (Kay) Jenkins, and Gary (Chimene); 36 grandchildren, 83 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild due this month; her siblings, MaryLou (Doyle) Rindlisbacher, Fred Scoresby, Harold (Jean) Scoresby, John (Marilyn) Scoresby. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lynn, her parents, her siblings, Bill Scoresby, Leah Thacker, Delbert Scoresby, Charles Scoresby, and Marilyn Sargent, and one great grandchild, Kathryn Lane.
Services will be held on Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at the Rigby Stake Center 258 West 1st North, Rigby with a viewing from 12-12:45 p.m. There will be a viewing on Friday, May 7, 2021 from 6-8 p.m. at the church. Interment will be in the Moreland, Idaho Cemetery.
For those who are not able to attend in person you may follow this link:
http://zoom.us/j/96192353304