EVA S. BENDA

1924 - 2017

BENDA, EVA S. Eva S. Benda, widow of former Yale Professor Harry J. Benda, died on January 3, 2017 at the age of 92 in her home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She had lived in North Haven from 1959 until 2010, when she moved to the Washington, D.C. area to be with her children and grandchildren. Predeceased by her husband (1971) and her son, Peter Martin (2012), Eva is survived by her daughter, Susan and Susan’s son, Elias Benda, and by Peter’s sons, Aaron and Jacob Benda. Eva was born in Berlin on May 13, 1924, grew up in Czechoslovakia, fled to New Zealand in 1950, where she met and married her husband, and came with him to the United States in 1952. After her husband’s death, Eva obtained a B.A and an M.A in psychology and worked for the State of Connecticut. Eva wrote eloquently of her experience as a Holocaust survivor in AND LIFE IS CHANGED FOREVER. She was smart and beautiful, had a generous soul and an indomitable spirit and was adored by her children and loved by her friends.