Connie Benson

My favorite 5th grade teacher. We adopted a rabbit named stitches..lol. she was an amazing woman and one of the reasons I'm a teacher today. She will truly be missed. Thank you for making a difference in my life

My favorite 5th grade teacher. We adopted a rabbit named stitches..lol. she was an amazing woman and one of the reasons I'm a teacher today. She will truly be missed. Thank you for making a difference in my life

I was so saddened to hear of Connie's passing. Connie and I were in Peace Corps Poland together. A few quintessential Connie memories have come back to me since I heard the sad news. I first met Connie at staging in Washington, DC, before we all took off for Poland. I had just met my friend Katie, and we were sitting in the hotel lobby exhausted from the very early morning airport goodbyes to our families. Connie walked by and invited us to her hotel room to watch TV. I think we all went out to lunch together, too. Later, she told us that we had looked so "sad and forlorn" to her in that lobby that she'd just had to intervene. Very classic Connie, always so outgoing with strangers.

Another memory: we had a conference in Kazimierz Dolny and Peace Corps had hired a bus to drive us from our conference to Warszawa Centralna train station. Connie had her train connection already planned and was very concerned about missing it. The bus driver was standing outside of the bus chatting with people on the sidewalk. Not to be deterred, Connie jumped into the driver's seat, and honked the horn yelling "Prosze! Prosze!" to let the driver know he needed to get the show on the road. He eventually took the hint and got into the bus to drive us to the train station. Connie was never shy about sharing her feelings. Who only knows what that bus driver told his family about Peace Corps that night.

I do also remember she and I ended up as roommates at the Kazimierz Dolny conference. I was 22 and she was in her 60s. I was asleep early every night, and she was always coming back to the room really late after staying up all hours having a blast with everyone. I ask you - who was the real 22-year-old?

Gone too soon, I say. With her force and vitality, I had expected her to be writing all of our obituaries.

Connie and I served in the Peace Corps together. She was a wonderful source of enthusiasm, support, and dedication to her students. Her commitment to giving back even in retirement is an example for all who knew her. I'm so glad I had a chance to now her.

Connie and I were volunteers in the Peace
Corps. She was a very open and loving soul, sorry to hear of her passing.