Obituary of Amelia Eleanor Benko

Amelia Eleanor Benko (nee Bosak), born May 29, 1916, passed away peacefully on April 23rd. Amelia, fondly known as "Millie," was a lifelong resident of Akron. She was preceded in death by her husband, George J. Benko. She is survived by her beloved daughter, Patricia Ann Benko of Canal Fulton, Ohio, whose special needs she attended to with much love and care; by her son, James (Mary Jane) Benko of Fairlawn, Ohio and by her special niece, Antoinette Benko Flynn (Dr. Michael A. Flynn) of Fort Myers, Florida. Millie is also survived by her eight great nieces and nephews and her nineteen great great nieces and nephews whose company and stories always made her smile. Following her graduation from South High School, Millie was employed by the B.F. Goodrich Company and proudly worked at the plant on Miller Street. She retired from Goodrich after forty-seven years of loyal service. Throughout her life, Millie's religion and church were very important to her. She was a founding member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and donated many hours of her time as President and member of the Ladies Guild and Altar and Rosary Society (her nut rolls were legendary at their bake sales). She was an independent and gregarious person who loved to socialize with friends and family and will be remembered for sending hundreds of greeting cards to them to celebrate birthdays and holidays. Millie loved to travel, particularly with the Firestone Park AARP group. She was also a very talented needlepoint and chrochet artist. Many of her afghans were given as gifts to family, donated to raffle events and to Francesca Residence where she lived and enjoyed the friendship of the Sisters and other residents for the last eighteen years. Francesca friends will remember her as their long-time bingo organizer and bingo caller extraordinaire. Her family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Daughters of Divine Charity at the Francesca Residence, to the skilled and caring staff of The Merriman where she lived the past two months and to the Summa Palliative Care staff whose tender care kept her and her family comfortable and at peace. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 10:00 am at the Francesca Residence Chapel, 39 N Portage Path in Akron, OH 44303. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Akron. The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Francesca Residence.