Marilyn P. Benson

Marilyn Peters Benson, 83, died on Nov. 2, 2025, in her home at the Winnwood Retirement Community in Marietta, Ga., surrounded by her loving family.

Marilyn was born on Nov. 18, 1941, in Elmhurst, Ill., the daughter of Robert and Dorothy Peters, and grew up on the family farm in Roscoe, Ill., before attending Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., and graduating with a degree in business education. There she met Bernard W. Benson, whom she married on June 15, 1963, in Roscoe.

After moving to Signal Mountain, Tenn., in 1970, Marilyn worked many years in the records office at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, where husband Bernie was a science and environmental education professor until his death in 2000.

Marilyn was a woman of many interests, opinions and talents. She never cared much for farm life, but she was handy enough to make her own wedding gown and then clothes for her three young children before becoming a dedicated quilter in later life.

She enjoyed playing cards and Scrabble, solving crosswords and watching TV game shows, especially Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. She and Bernie also were such avid dancers that their Nissan Maxima boasted the front license plate "Square Dancers Are Happy People." Speaking of cars, Marilyn was hardly a gearhead, but that didn't stop her from treating herself to her dream vehicle, a brand-new Jaguar XJ8, during her 60s.

Marilyn loved, loved, loved the color purple; she used a purple pen to pay bills, she bought a purple KitchenAid Mixer (Deluxe Edition!) long after she stopped baking, she even had purple carpet and drapes in her Winnwood apartment. Another hobby? She collected glass paperweights from all over the globe. And if they also happened to be purple? Oh my!

She also was a world-class traveler. Marilyn visited England, France, Switzerland, Russia and China with Bernie, then spent 15 years after his death checking many more countries off her to-travel list, including Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Greece and Turkey. In later life, she fell in love with group bus trips and especially enjoyed taking her grandchildren to places like Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Finally, Marilyn was a longtime member of the American Civil Liberties Union and happily supported many charities, including the Atlanta Community Food Bank, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and the Chattanooga Foundation.

Declining health prompted her to move from Tennessee to Marietta, where after a year of dialysis, Marilyn received a kidney transplant from her daughter Janette (Janni) in 2018. Since then, Marilyn made many friends at Winnwood and was known for her big smile, friendly nature and, of course, her obsession with purple.

She is survived by her children, Traci (Bill) Shaw of Mechanicsburg, Pa., Janni (Dan) George of Marietta, and Wayne (Kristi) Benson of Eden Prairie, Minn.; grandchildren Caylan, Tyler (Rebecca), Haley and Will Shaw, Maggie, Katie and Tom George, and Henry, Leif and Nick Benson; step grandchildren Jeff (Amy) George and Jennie (Ted) Arnett; great-granddaughter Adalynn Shaw; step great-grandchildren Lucy and Penny George and Wyatt and Cole Pellatz; brother Bob (Mary) Peters of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., and sister Karen Davis of Roscoe. In addition to husband Bernie, she was preceded in death by her parents and brother David Peters.

A family celebration of life for Marilyn is planned for next spring in Chattanooga.

Online condolences and remembrances may be made at www.mayeswarddobbins.com

Those who desire, in lieu of flowers, may make contributions to; Atlanta Community Food Bank, 1605 Austell Rd SE, Marietta, GA 30008 or at www.acfb.org or Chattanooga Area Food Bank, 2009 Curtain Pole Rd Chattanooga, TN 37406 or at www.chattfoodbank.org or Chattanooga Foundation, 727 E. 11th St, Chattanooga, TN 37403 or at www.chattfoundation.org

Mayes Ward Dobbins Historic Marietta Chapel, 180 Church Street NE, Marietta, GA 30060. 770.428.1511.