St. George Utah - Verna Jean Benson was born August 21, 1937 in Delta, Utah. Verna Jean was the fourth of five children born to Annie Schlappi and Willard "Bud" Sorenson. She lived most of her life in St. George, Utah and attended high school at Dixie HS graduating in 1955. She earned a diploma from the St. Marks School of Nursing in Salt Lake City in 1959. She loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and chose to serve as a full-time missionary from 1960-1962. She was called to serve in the Brazilian Mission under President Grant Bangerter.

Verna worked as a surgical assistant at hospitals in Provo UT, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Vancouver WA and St. George. She also worked in home health in Nebraska, Washington and Las Vegas. She loved her jobs and her coworkers and was very dedicated and talented.

She married Michael Benson in 1971 in the Los Angeles LDS temple and they quickly had three kids in addition to Mike's daughter, Debra who was 11yrs old at the time. The family moved to St. George in 1977 and stayed until 1991. Verna Jean was a great cook and Benson thanksgiving dinner family reunions were a highlight memory for everyone that participated.

Verna Jean passed away peacefully on December 8, 2021. She is preceded in death by her parents; her older brothers: Jimmy and Donald Sorenson; and her ex-husband, Michael. Her children always knew they were first in her life and she is survived by all three of her children: Gregg (Nicole) Benson, Kenneth (Devon) Benson and Melinda (Shawn) Leavitt; along with her brother, Kenneth (Judy) Sorenson; and sister, Dora (Tory) Zimmerman. She has six grandchildren that she adored: Brett, Zach, Dallin, Danica, Vega and Lyra.

She is throwing one last St. George thanksgiving lunch/family reunion on Saturday, January 29, 2022. If you knew Verna, you're welcome to join as her family buries her with her parents in the St George City Cemetery on 100 South and 600 East at 11am. To be followed by the reunion immediately after at the LDS building across from the temple. Please bring a photo and a story to tell. If you need more information, please contact her son, Gregg at 702-235-8604.

Verna's family would like to give a special thank you to the staff and nurses at St. George Rehabilitation for the loving care they gave to her for the last years of her life.