APG Skagit Call Center - DUP
Jean Ann Benfield passed away on April 29, 2022 in Sedro-Woolley, WA at the age of 79 after losing her battle with Alzheimer's.
Jean was born in Sedro-Woolley, WA to Perry and Irene Rickabaugh on June 27, 1942. She was one of two daughters and was raised in Concrete, WA, graduating from Concrete High School.
Jean was a wonderful mom who always put her children first. She raised five children by herself with very little means, yet we had everything we needed and more because she could stretch a dime into a dollar. She said she never wanted to leave us with a babysitters and only hired one on two separate occasions. We would get to go to Grandma and Grandpa Benfield's house instead where she knew we were safe.
Mom taught us many skills in life to survive. How to save money and that you don't need a bunch of unnecessary things. We cooked meals at home ad canned hundreds of quarts of food each year. We would pick one hundred pounds of strawberries to make jam and many an hour was spent snapping green beans in front of the tv. She gave us all the love of camping. She took us all the time, even in the rain, saying proverbial "you're not made of sugar you won't melt."
Jean had many skills, but she loved sewing and excelled at it. She could sew anything and made her own patterns if needed. She made all our clothes and several quilts throughout the years. It was very important to her to make us all one last quilt before she passed. She made a lot of clothes for people in town of Concrete along with mending and altering. As being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, she made Bible character costumes for full dress Bible Dramas during their summer conventions. She also taught herself to play a twelve string Gibson guitar and many a night was spent listening to her play bluegrass rhythm alongside her brother-in-law, Jerry Benfield, and his banjo.
Jean went to Bellingham Technical College to be a machinist in the 1980s. While there she made several tools and even a wood lathe. Later in life she attended Skagit Valley College taking several courses which led to a job with Washington State Department of Corrections. Her first few years were spent working at the minimum-security Airway Heights Corrections Center in eastern Washington. Always wanting to be closer to her family she eventually was able to transfer to the WA State Dept. of Corrections Bellingham Field Office from which she retired after 22 years of service and received a Challenge Coin.
Thanks to her daughter and son-in-law, Janine and Johnny Frizzell, she was able to live out her golden years in the comfort of their home along the beautiful Skagit River.
Memorial service: October 21st, 2023, 1:30 pm at 1450 Wicker Road in Sedro-Woolley.
Jean is survived by her children Jeanne Ralph (Mark), Alan Benfield (Debra), Janine Frizzell (Johnny), Jared Benfield, and sister Irene Freday (Harry). Grandchildren Rachelle Benfield, Jacquelynn Robinson, Kaleb Ralph, Chris Chalcraft, Derrick Davis, and Daniel Coffman.
LINKS
Skagit Valley Herald
http://goskagit.com
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