Alice Karen Bennett

Alice Karen Sandberg Bennett, age 86, mother of 7, passed away on Monday, November 10, 2025. After a long journey with Alzheimer’s disease, she departed this life with grace and dignity. She was fortunate to have peacefully passed on her own terms, in the comfort of the home and family she loved.

Karen was born on May 10, 1939, in Hurricane, Utah, to Donna Reber and Garth Snow Sandberg. She grew up in a loving home with her five siblings—Gary, Pat, Richard, Stein, and Kristeen. From an early age, Karen stood out for her kindness, compassion, and intelligence. She graduated near the top of her class at Hurricane High School. Karen also loved music; she played the clarinet in high school and college, and the piano and organ throughout her life.

After high school, Karen attended Dixie Junior College, where she met the love of her life, Lyle Gene Bennett. They quickly fell in love and were married on September 22, 1959 in the St. George Temple. Their marriage was a partnership anchored in devotion and unwavering faith, by a love that carried them throughout every chapter of life. Karen unconditionally supported Gene, and together they raised seven children.

Family and faith were the foundation of Karen’s life, and she lived what she believed with sincerity, integrity and quiet conviction. She loved unconditionally, forgave easily, and always put others first. She took pride in sharing gospel principles to her children, and to those around her. Once her children were raised, she continued sharing her love of the gospel by serving three LDS missions with Gene. She fulfilled every Church calling with dedication and attended the temple weekly for many years.

Her patience and compassion were unmatched. Her home was a refuge where everyone was seen, heard and cared for. It was rare when anyone left her home hungry. Karen’s days were filled with quiet, meaningful acts of service that defined her life. She spent countless hours caring for her children, preparing meals and tirelessly doing whatever was necessary to support her family. She remembered every birthday of every child, grandchild and great-grandchild, and personalized them with homemade treats and heartfelt notes. She planned family gatherings and holiday dinners, sewed baby blankets for each new grandchild, and never let a Christmas or birthday pass without a carefully chosen gift, lovingly wrapped, for each and every family member.

Karen left many friends behind; she especially loved her early morning walks with dear friends in her later years. She maintained her connections with friends and family through handwritten letters. Anyone visiting from out of town could expect to leave with a brown paper bag—neatly labeled with their name—filled with snacks for the journey home. These small, sincere gestures became treasured traditions that her family and friends will carry in their hearts forever. 

Karen became a widow nearly twelve years ago when she lost her sweetheart Gene to multiple myeloma cancer, and she missed him every single day. Though her passing brings profound sorrow, her family takes comfort in knowing that she is now reunited with him, as well as with her parents and siblings who went before her. The reunion she longed for has finally arrived.

Karen is survived by her seven children–Russell (Debbie), Jeannette (Craig) Seegmiller, Greg (Michelle), Paul (Andrea), Robert (Jetta), Brad, and Tony, her brother Richard Sandberg, 28 grandchildren, and 37 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lyle Gene Bennett, her siblings Gary Sandberg, Pat Bastian, Stein Sandberg and Kristeen Mendenhall, and grandson Jory Williams.

Karen’s family expresses their deepest gratitude to her devoted caregiver, Tamil Lay, and to Mission Home Health and Hospice for their tender and compassionate service.

A funeral will be held Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the St. George Second Ward Chapel, 166 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah. Viewings will be held at the same location on Friday, November 21, from 6:00–7:30 p.m., and Saturday from 9:30–10:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Tonaquint Cemetery, 1777 S. Dixie Drive, St. George, Utah, under the care of McArthur Funeral Home and Cremation Center.

Online condolences and memories may be shared at mcarthurfuneralservices.com.