Janet Corrine Benson was born on September 22, 1923 in Madison, Wisconsin to Clarence and Clara Gulson Haugner. She grew up in Madison where she attended Randall Elementary School and graduated from West High School. She attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN for two years and completed her degree in Secondary Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She taught English for two years in Janesville, WI. On August 16, 1947, she and Claude Benson were married at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison. They made their home in Minneapolis, MN where Janet taught at St. Peter's Lutheran School and then worked in the library at Ramsey Junior High School. They moved into their new home in Richfield in August 1952 and Claude died of polio six weeks later. Janet continued living in Richfield for almost 50 years. She was an assistant librarian at Roosevelt High School and then was head librarian at Washburn High School before becoming the head librarian at Richfield High School. She had studied Library Science through evening and summer school at the University of Minnesota and earned a Media Specialist degree from St. Cloud State University. Janet retired in 1983. She moved to Sunrise Terrace Apartments in Slayton, MN in 2002. In January 2003 she moved to Lindenwood Assisted Living Apartments and became a resident of Golden Living Center in Slayton in October 2005. Janet moved to Ebenezer Ridges Care Center, Burnsville, MN in September 2013 and passed away there on August 1, 2014 at the age of 90. Janet was a former member of House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Richfield. She had belonged to a retired teachers group and the American Association of University Women. She enjoyed reading, traveling, music and she was an accomplished pianist, walking and spending time visiting with family and friends.
Survivors include her daughter, son and their spouses: Corrine and Tim Totzke of Savage, MN, and Claude and Kaye Benson of Excelsior, MN; three grandchildren: Ann and her husband, Chance Nelson of Otsego, MN. Amy Smit of Savage, MN and Mark Totzke and his wife, Stacie of St. Paul, MN; three great-grandchildren: Gabe Smit and Matthew and Katie Nelson; a sister-in-law, Barbara Taft of Eden Prairie, MN; and six nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Claude, her parents, sister, Pauline Taylor, brother, Raymond Haugner, sister-in-law, Esther Benson. brothers-in-law, Gordon Taft & Jim Taylor, and grandson, Michael Horton.
Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, August 3, 2014 at 4:00 pm at Gill Brothers Funeral Home,5801 Lyndale Ave. So.Minneapolis, MN with the Rev. Walt Lichtenberger officiating. Interment will be in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Northfield, MN. Her family will serve as her pallbearers. Visitation will be from 3:00 pm until the time of the service on Sunday.

Obituary & photo published on the Gill Brothers Funeral & Cremation Services website.