Viola was born in a sod house on April 19, 1923, to Henning and Jennie Benson of rural Clearfield, SD. She was the ninth of eleven children.
She attended grade school at Blue Valley School and high school at Winner High School, graduating in 1941. Viola attended Southern Teacher’s College in Springfield, SD. She taught at Claremont and Blue Valley schools.
Viola decided to change careers, so she traveled with three other girls to Florida. She worked as a waitress in the big hotels on Miami Beach. She moved to Chicago and while working at a country club, she met her future husband. They were married June 9, 1952 in Chicago. They continued to work in hotels and clubs for several years, but changed their careers to work as cook and butler for the wealthy, living and traveling with them to their various homes.
Their last jobs together were working in the apple orchards around Chicago. After Vi’s husband, Ed passed away on August 5, 1981, she continued to work in the orchards until moving to Winner, SD, in 2006. She lived in her own apartment until 2012, when she moved to Golden Prairie Manor.
Loading ...