Phyllis Benay

Phyllis Benay left this world on an unseasonably warm evening in March after seven miraculous years living with lung cancer. Many will remember her as an inspired and brilliant professor at Keene State College, where she taught expository writing and directed the writing center for more than 25 years. Others knew her as a gardener-tending to her perennials and vegetables with ungloved hands, deep in the soil, cherishing her consultations with the knowledgeable staff of the Walker Farm; or as a birder, leading the Southern Vermont Audubon Society chapter around her marsh in search of wood ducks and thrushes; or as a mother and grandmother, making up songs and poems on the spot, sending the perfect gifts, giving the most comforting hugs. Although she was all of those things, most of us will remember Phyllis as a woman who exuded warmth, relished intellectual debate, and brought people from diverse walks of life together, on her back deck, for food, laughter, and love. She is survived by her devoted daughter, Erin, her two beloved grandsons Ari & Ben, her son-in-law, Matthew, her mother, Dorothy, and dozens of friends with whom she shared countless summer evenings of passionate conversation. Her memorial will be held at 11:00am at the Wilder Cemetery in Dummerston on May, 11, 2019. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made to Southeastern Vermont Audubon Society. https://southeasternvtas.blogspot.com/