Janice BensonHaven, KS

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our mother, Jan Benson. She is remembered for her strength, kindness, creativity and love of our Lord. Jan’s life was much like one of her beautiful quilts—a curation of her faith, travels, music, education, and love of nature, all stitched together by her fierce love for family and friends and, of course, a Diet Dr Pepper always close at hand.

Janice Arlene Benson was the daughter of Karl and LaVera Tonn and grew up in Haven, a rural farming community in south-central Kansas. Jan enjoyed her childhood going to church and school playing alongside her cousins with whom she later enjoyed many adult friendships. She graduated from Haven High School, Class of 1971. As an adult, her pursuit of higher education opened doors to new adventures across the country.

Jan’s move to Houston, Texas brought a career and love. She and Timothy Benson were united in marriage on July 19, 1984. Together they shared two children, Christopher and Matthew, until Tim’s passing in 2003.

Later, Manhattan, Kansas, called Jan to become a K-State Wildcat as she pursued her bachelor's and master's degrees, along with numerous additional professional accreditations. She proudly donned her purple then and for many alumni celebrations in recent years. Academic life suited her and she became a Professor of Accounting at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Jan’s life there was filled with family, her treasured group of friends and a passion for fitness and nature. She found peace hiking in the mountains or sitting by the stream in nearby Estes Park, Colorado.

Jan lived out her final months in the care of Chris and Kayley Benson, and Jan’s grandson, Carson, in Charleston, South Carolina. These precious days were filled with conversations, visits and celebrations, Carson’s kitchen hockey games, sporting events, and prayer. Jan read her Bible and her Lutheran Hymnal daily focusing on her eternal life in heaven. She was gracious and full of gratitude over the love she received from friends, family and neighbors. She went home to our Lord the evening of Sunday, May 31, 2026.

She was preceded in death by her parents Karl and Lavera Tonn, and her husband Timothy Benson. She is survived by her children Christopher (Kayley) Benson and Matthew Benson, her Grandson Carson, her brother Ronald (Cynthia) Tonn and many others that loved her.

Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Sunday, June 21, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Ott Funeral Home, Haven, Kansas. Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 22, at 10:30 AM at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Haven, Kansas. Luncheon to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the MUSC Institute for Neuroscience Discovery (MIND) to further support neuroscience education and research in honor of Janice at https://muschealth.org/medical-services/neurosciences/mind, or as a memorial to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Memorial contributions may be written to the charity and sent in care of Ott Funeral Home, PO Box 217, Haven, Kansas 67543.