LANA BENEDICT 
Aug. 19, 1946-Oct. 2, 2015
It’s likely no one who knew Lana Benedict as a State of Illinois retiree, volunteer cook, gardener, singer, loving mother and wife thought she would leave life on this side of heaven at age 69 last October. Vibrant, passionate, and retired but never retiring, Lana always had enough energy for the next project. But by early autumn, in an extended hospital stay from complications following surgery, Lana wasn’t making plans for any of her favorite projects. She just didn’t feel good for the first time in nearly 70 years. Several hundred friends and community members who had enjoyed her wholesome cooking through the years joined family on Oct. 4 and 5 to share memories and celebrate Lana Benedict’s deep faith, joyful service, rich soprano voice and, of course, her meals and award-winning jams, jellies and apple butter. Naturally, her memorial included lunch and a song by members of the Sound Celebration Chorus.
“We came because we loved her,” says Jean Follin who sang lead with Benedict for years. “And we are very fond of her husband, John, also. It’s a family atmosphere.” Being in the Sweet Adelines can also be pretty funny, especially at competitions where everyone’s costumes, hair and makeup have to match perfectly. “She loved to tell this story,” recalls Follin. “One year we all had to wear gray pantyhose and Lana couldn’t find any. So she dyed a pair to match, but the hot water ruined the elastic. While she was on stage, the top of the hose started rolling down and, by the time we were finished singing, the hose had unrolled so far she had to penguin walk off the stage.”
“She was always very outgoing and animated,” Follin continues, “a very good singer, no doubt about that, and faithfully attended the weekly rehearsals. But what she really liked to do in all aspects was cook. We had a cabaret show and she did the cooking for us, and also cooked breakfast and lunch for our annual retreats at the Lake Springfield Baptist Camp.”
This was just one small part of Benedict’s long years of volunteer cooking for community groups, among them Cherry Hills Baptist Church, the Chatham Kiwanis and public library, American Legion Post 759, and, for 29 years, the Central Baptist Church Thanksgiving Feast of Plenty which grew to serve nearly 2,000 meals this year and was dedicated to her service. Service, and command of the kitchen. “It’s been a long run. It was a great time, a really great time,” says Nancy Langford, friend and church volunteer. “Lana was The Cook. She ruled the kitchen with an iron fist. Only certain people were allowed in the kitchen to do the cooking. She would tell people there was hot stuff and lots of moving around, so no standing around drinking coffee and chitchatting. She was good-humored, except when people were in the kitchen who weren’t supposed to be there. It was a fun working relationship.”
Benedict only missed serving the Thanksgiving dinner twice in 30 years. Once, she wrote down all the instructions for Langford and then went to visit her son in Washington State. Langford told her, “You ever leave again and I’m never doing this again!” The other time was this past Thanksgiving – and the church honored her memory with a picture poster and message of thanks for her dedication.
Throughout all of the activities of daily life with her husband and partner, John, two things motivated Benedict to keep smiling and serving – love of her extended family, and love of Jesus. “Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil,” she told me in a 2010 interview for the Senior News & Times. “There is no point.
“God has been the center of our family forever. I’ve never known a day without Him. A lot of nights, I’ll go to bed and ask God, ‘What did I do to make you smile today? Did I help? Did I serve? Did I give a kind word, a smile, a helping hand? A jar of jam? Did I fall short? Then I thank Him and hope I have tomorrow to make up for what I didn’t do today.”
Then I asked what advice she would give to others who want to enjoy the fullness of a happy, busy retirement. “Do what your heart tells you to do. It’s your life. You have worked all these years and this is the icing on the cake. Just pick your flavor – volunteering at the hospital or at a school, reading for someone, whatever it is, don’t let anybody talk you out of it.”
DiAnne Crown enjoyed Lana’s cooking, stories and encouragement for more than a decade – often in the kitchen.
