NORWICH – Rosella M. Benington, of Woods Comers, Norwich, passed away Easter Sunday (April 8, 2007) in the Chenango Memorial Hospital.
Born in Edmeston on February 4, 1913, Rosella was the daughter of Merle M. and Edith M. (Perkins) Phillips. In her earlier years, she attended the Edmeston School and graduated from Norwich High School in 1932. She was also a graduate of the Oneonta State Normal School in 1935, the Oneonta State Teacher’s College in 1949, and the Oneonta State University College in 1959. Rosella began her teaching career in Edmeston. After 1939, she taught for many years in the Woods Corners School before joining the Norwich City School System in 1952. She retired from the Stanford J. Gibson School in 1975.
Rosella’s life was dedicated to her teaching. She was a member of the New York Retired Teachers Association, the Chenango County Retired Teachers Association, and the Broad Street United Methodist Church.
Rosella is survived by her nephews: Robert M. Phillips of Middle Grove, Philip J. Phillips of Geneva, and Ronald R. Phillips of Brookersville, Fla., and their families; along with special friends Carol Doupe and Alice Angle, and her dog, Penny. She was predeceased by her brother, Owen Phillips.
Funeral services for Rosella will be held on Friday, April 13, at 2 p.m., from the R. J. Fahy Funeral Home. The Rev. Jeff Hale, Pastor of the Broad Street United Methodist Church of Norwich, will officiate. Interment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Friends are invited to call at the R. J. Fahy Funeral Home on Friday from 1 p.m. until the service at 2 p.m.