Carol Louise (Sweeney) Benson

Carol Louise Benson, 85, died peacefully with her beloved cat, Tobias, at her home in Morrisville, Vermont on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.   

Carol was born June 18, 1939, in Paterson, New Jersey, the oldest daughter of Henry & Helen Sweeney.   She lived her younger years in New Jersey and graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1957.  She attended Mount Holyoke College, graduating in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry.  The friendships she made during her years there lasted throughout her lifetime, and she continued to get together with them yearly for mini-reunions in North Conway.

After a short time as a chemistry teacher, she married Robert Benson in 1964. She began a career in banking at the Peoples Trust of New Jersey, following in her father and favorite Auntie Gloria’s footsteps.  Their marriage ended in 1970.  In 1975, she married George Berry and moved to California.  When that marriage ended, she moved back East and landed in Stowe, Vermont in 1979.  She began working at the Stoweflake Resort in May of 1983 where she met her beloved partner, Larry Martin, and acquired her Vermont family.  Carol and Larry purchased their home together and settled on Maple Street in Morrisville in the summer of 1987.  Their dragon stove was an attraction for all the neighbors to come visit.  

Carol loved to write, whether it was her “How to be a Bed and Breakfast workbook “ or one of numerous plays.  She was extremely proud of her play “Issac Newton Sucked his Thumb,” written about her beloved cat, Issac Newton.  From Fletcher, the African grey parrot, to Ralph, the adopted beagle, to Tobias, her kitty, until the end, Carol always had animals to love in her life.  

When her partner Larry passed away, Carol found herself looking for something new to do with her time and discovered she had a passion for acting.  Carol would tell you that she was willing to try anything on the stage except porn! In 2005, she found her theater family at Quarry Works where she spent the next several years starring in most of the Quarry Work’s productions.  She was extremely proud to have been cast as Fagin in Quarry Work’s production of Oliver in 2007.  She was also excited to perform, produce, and be the lead of Kimberly Akimbo, which she performed at River Arts in 2009, and, in 2010, she was honored to be the solo performer in the production Open Me Last by Maura Campbell, the production was a benefit for the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS).

Carol was a lifetime learner and could often be found auditing courses at CCV and Johnson State College.  She loved trying new things and was an avid yogi, studying shamanic healing, and taking singing lessons. She loved watching birds, Johnny Depp, and watching tennis so much she would tell you not to call her when a tennis match was on TV.  She loved classical music and made sure her grandchildren had culture by bringing them to the orchestra, opera, and plays from a young age and supporting her great-grandchildren’s music and dance classes.  She was extremely social and made new friends wherever she went, even in the grocery store line.  Her friends, especially her cinco amigas, were a central part of her life and she enjoyed having deep and meaningful conversations with them. 

Carol was a very giving person, not only with her time supporting community events and using her organizational talents to organize events like the Morrisville 4th of July celebration, but she was always helping those in need however she could.  A dear friend called her the Morrisville Philanthropist.  She was a generous supporter of many organizations like her alma mater: Mount Holyoke College, the Nature Conservancy, River Arts, Ballet Wolcott, Justice for Dogs, and the Food Shelf. 

Carol also loved spending time with family.  Her summer trips to visit cousins in Nova Scotia, where she learned how to dig clams, and her trips to New York and Virginia to visit her sister and nephews and watch her great nieces and nephews grow up were highlights of her life.  

Carol is predeceased by her son, Gregory Benson; her father, Henry Sweeney; her mother, Helen Sweeny, her aunt, Gloria Eschelman, her beloved life partner, Larry Martin; and many loved furry babies. 

She is survived by her sister, Marilyn Hoffman of Madison, VA; her nephew, Fred & Mary Ann Hoffman, and their daughters Rachel and Rebecca of Madison, VA; her nephew, Kevin & Katie Hoffman, and their children, Ilsa, Adela, and Austin of Red Hook, NY; many cousins in Nova Scotia; and also by her Vermont family Larry Martin, Morrisville, VT; Tom & Linda Martin, Wolcott, VT;  their daughters Sara & Logan Haskins, Morrisville, VT; and Eliza & Jeremy Giard, Hyde Park, VT; Susan & Keith Martin, Hyde Park, VT; and their children Aaron & Jennifer Martin, Hyde Park, VT and Alexandra Martin, Bovina, NY and by many great-grandchildren that affectionately called her Gigi, Dylan & Malia Haskins, Sophia, Leon, Isabella, Judah, Asher, Calvin & Hadassah Giard, and Arianna & Oliver Martin.  

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, June 1, 2025 from 2-4pm at the River Arts building, 74 Pleasant St, Morrisville, VT 05661. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a cause dear to your heart, as Carol would have done. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carol Louise (Sweeney) Benson, please visit our floral store.