Nancy Carolyn Benson of Del Norte, Colorado passed away on April 26, 2014 due to a lingering illness. She was born in Houston, Texas on August 26,
1935 to Clifford Vincent Halstead and Alice Maurine Simpson. She was the middle child of five: Dorothy Jane Halstead (Burkett), Bettye Ann
Halstead (Bartlett), Clifford Vincent Halstead, Jr. and Rosemary Halstead (Curry). She grew up attending schools in Corpus Christi, Texas and earned a violin music scholarship to University of North Texas in Denton where she attended one year.

Carolyn loved singing in the choir and was very musical. When she met her husband, Harold Lester Benson, a navy man, he spotted her singing
In the church choir and it was love at first sight. They were married on July 10, 1954 in Corpus Christi at the Second Baptist Church. After two months of living in Corpus Christi, Harold's father died so they moved to Del Norte to harvest the crops and help take care of Harold's mother, Blanche Benson. They lived together in Del Norte for the next 59 years on the Benson family farm.

She and Harold had four children and six grandchildren. During the time they were raising a family, Carolyn drove to Alamosa and worked as a librarian at Adams State University, and Harold worked as a school teacher in Saguache and retired in 1991. Together, they were a great team in meeting the needs of their family. Carolyn retired in 1990 at the age of 55 after supervising many young college students and loving the experience.

She was kind, loving, generous, outgoing, and had many friends. She was involved in many things in the Del Norte community, including restoring the Windsor Hotel, playing violin in the Del Norte Symphonette, and owning a small secretarial business downtown. She loved teaching violin to children and doing crafts with her grandchildren. She belonged to Alpine Artists, where she enjoyed china painting and taking her canvas into the mountains and painting on-site. She also played bridge and pinochle, was a great seamstress, enjoyed genealogy, computers, traveling, sewing, reading, and was a fabulous cook. She loved to entertain, decorate cakes, and was well known for her delicious desserts. She was an avid fisherman and liked to tie her own flies. She also loved camping with her family and spending time outside raising her large garden.

She was an active member of Pioneer United Church in Del Norte and had great faith in the Lord and an abiding love for her family.

She will be lovingly cherished by her husband, Harold of Del Norte, son Kenneth Scott (Del Norte), son Jon (Cyndi) of Boulder, CO daughter Lisa (Chuck) Fowler of Ft. Collins, CO. She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter, Cynthia, and siblings Dorothy (Perry) Burkett and Rosemary (Ed) Curry.

She will be greatly missed by her grandchildren Tyler Benson (Louisville, CO), Andrew Benson (Michelle) of Aurora, CO, Heather Benson and David Benson (Boulder, CO), Aaron and Megan Fowler (Ft. Collins, CO) and siblings Ann Bartlett (Richardson, TX) and Clifford (Susie) Halstead of Rosenberg, TX.


Services will be held Saturday, May 3, 2014 at Pioneer United Church in Del Norte at 11 a.m. All those who’s lives were touched by Carolyn’s beautiful spirit are encouraged to attend.

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