Anita G. Benjamin

ESSEX JUNCTION - Anita Garcia Benjamin, 95, of Essex Junction, died peacefully on April 2, 2016, at home.
She was born in Barre, Vermont, the daughter of Gervasio Garcia and Isabel Ontanon Garcia, both from the Province of Cantabria, Spain. She was a graduate of Montpelier High School in 1936, first working for Triple A in Montpelier, Vermont, and then moved to Washington, D.C., to work for the Pentagon during the second World War. On June 22, 1945, she married Donald W. Benjamin and they moved to Middlebury, Vermont, established Benjamin Brothers Dry Cleaners and raised their family. Anita worked for many years in the insurance industry, beginning with Cooperative Fire Insurance of Middlebury and finally retiring from the insurance industry in the 1980s. Anita was a passionate collector of antiques, loved American history and was able to satisfy that love by becoming a guide at the Shelburne Museum for the next 18 years, those years being some of the happiest of her life.
Anita possessed a keen interest in politics, was an avid reader, enjoyed skiing and golf, and played bridge well into her 90s. This past year, on her 95th birthday, she was fondly remembered by many at the Essex Junction Senior Center where she volunteered for several years.
She is survived by Trudy Martin, of Portland, Maine; Nancy Shea, of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Robin Noble and husband, Spencer, of Essex Junction, Vermont; five grandchildren, Kyle Bates, of Stowe, Vermont, Curtis Bates, of Portland, Maine, Noah Rheaume, of Brattleboro, Vermont, Gail McClead and husband, BJ, of Morgantown, and Anna Sheridan and husband, Keenan, of Savannah, Georgia; three great-grandchildren, Brody, Harper and Aurelia Sheridan, of Savannah; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
Anita is predeceased by her brother, Julia Garcia, of Barre, Vermont, and Olga Gomez, of Montpelier.
The family would like to thank her longtime caretaker, Dawn Bain, of Colchester, for all her care, support and kindness to Anita and the family.
Contributions to her memory can be made to The Essex Rescue, One Educational Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.
Anita's ashes will be interred a later date this spring.