Carolyn G. (Mitchell) Benson, 82, of Cranberry, formerly of Seneca, passed away Saturday afternoon, November 11, 2017, at Oakwood Heights in Oil City following a debilitating spinal cord injury she received eight years ago. 

                She was born in Oil City on November 17, 1934.  She was one of eleven children in the close-knit family of the late Carle and Clara (Gaisford) Mitchell. 

                After graduating from Oil City High School, she married Raymond E. Benson, and they celebrated 49 years of marriage just before his passing in 2004.

                Mrs. Benson was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Oil City. 

                Always a homemaker, she will be remembered as a great caregiver, from the many latchkey children she watched and nurtured in her home for years, to her unwavering support to her husband during his declining health with A.L.S.

                You could always count on her offering a willing ear to bend over a cup of coffee and her chocolate chip cookies from the infamous cookie tin, not to mention her apple pies. 

                She is survived by four children: Phyllis Slye and her husband Kim of Cranberry, with whom Carolyn made her home during the past eight years, Jeff Benson and his wife Shari of Jacksonville, North Carolina, Kevin Benson and his wife Sally of Newnan, Georgia, and Brenda Benson of Oil City; ten grandchildren: Kasey Slye, Kory Slye and his wife Lyndsey, Jeffrey Benson and his wife Jenn, Brandon Benson and his wife Elizabeth, Sarah Miller and her husband Brad, Kara Benson, Amanda Weeks and her husband Matt, Sam Smith and his fiancé Brighton, Kenneth Whitten, and Keila Whitten; and eleven great-grandchildren:  Dawson, Eva, Everett, Joseph, Cooper, Aria, Noa, Gracyn, Finley, Gideon, and Ellis.  Carolyn was awaiting the birth of another great-grandson, Waylon, in early 2018. 

                She is also survived by her siblings: Jean Goede, Alice Hines, Beverly Tudor and husband Jimmy, Barbara Myers, Sandra Smith, Barry Mitchell and wife Marsha, and Gordon Mitchell and wife Anne; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

                In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a brother, Richard Mitchell; a sister, Patricia Ditzenberger; and an infant sister, Janet. 

                Friends and family will be received Monday (Nov. 13) from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Hile-Best Funeral Home, 2781 Rte. 257 in Seneca, Cranberry Township.  A funeral service will be held in the funeral home Tuesday (Nov. 14) at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Ronee Christy, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, officiating.  Interment will follow in Sunset Hill Memorial Gardens in Cranberry. 

                Carolyn's family would like to express their thanks and gratitude to the numerous people that assisted with her care over the last eight years, especially Melanie, Mary, and Laura. 

                Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 215 East Bissell Ave., Oil City PA  16301; the Venango County V.N.A. Foundation, 491 Allegheny Blvd., Franklin, PA 16323; or to a charity of one's choice. 

                Condolences may be expressed to the family online by visiting www.hilebest.com 

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