Obituary of Joyce Marilyn Benson

Joyce Marilyn (Iverson) Benson, 91, passed away peacefully in her home on November 10, 2020, surrounded by family.  She was born on July 16, 1929 in Cloquet, Minnesota to Juella and Ingwald Iverson.  She married Clifford Benson in April 1949 who preceded her in death in 2011.

Joyce is survived by her three daughters, Paige (Bob) Riewe, Pam Benson, and Paula (Tom) Shaw; her grandchildren, David (LeJoy) Riewe, Brett (Jen) Riewe, Ty (Jen) Severson, Jamie (Jeff) Burton, and Tomie Shaw and 3 step grandchildren; seven great grandchildren, ten step great grandchildren and one great great granddaughter.

She will be remembered as an activist, an organizer, and a world leader for women’s rights.   Joyce’s philosophies were very forward-thinking and she lived her life on the cutting edge of progress. Up until her health recently deteriorated, she remained active in many of the organizations she had been involved with throughout her lifetime.

Some of Joyce’s greatest accomplishments included:

• Becoming a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1967 and serving as the state board representative where she worked for passage of the ERA
• Designing the first Women’s Studies program at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) in the 1970s and earning her bachelor’s degree from UMD at the age of 51
• Founding the Greater Minnesota Women’s Alliance in 1982, which initiated legislation on women’s issues
• Running for public office and serving on the Duluth City Council from 1985 – 1990
• Spearheading the Duluth Sister Cities Program in 1987, which now includes cities in Japan, Russia, Canada, and Sweden
• Serving as a delegate to the United Nations “Decade for Women” Conference in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985, which inspired her to expand her horizons from not only helping local women, but advocating for women’s rights around the world
• Organizing women’s domestic violence and leadership programs in both Petrozavodsk, Russia and Kirovograd, Ukraine, both of which now have shelters for women and children because of her efforts
• Serving as a member of the League of Women Voters for 35 years where she was President of the Duluth chapter and Chair of the International Relations Committee
• Inspiring leaders from Russia, Ukraine and Tajikistan to travel to Duluth to learn about US democracy and American culture through her involvement in the Open World Leadership Center, an organization created by Congress 
• Being honored by the Open World Program in 2008 in Washington, D.C. for her outstanding work in the program
• Serving as a liaison for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute Fellows Program at the University of Minnesota and coordinating seminars in Duluth for hundreds of international leaders
• Receiving the Women of Distinction Award in 2006 for her lifelong commitment to inspiring women from around the world to become leaders in their own communities

Joyce was also a long-time member of Hillside Methodist Church in Duluth.  

In lieu of having a memorial service at this time because of Covid-19, the family is requesting that you donate in her honor to either Hillside Methodist Church in Duluth or to the Duluth League of Women Voters (https://www.lwvmn.org/donate) so they may continue to champion her cause.

Her family would like to extend special thank you’s to the following for providing such compassionate care for our mother: All the staff at the Pines III Assisted Living, the caregivers at Ecumen Hospice, Dr. Homam Alkaied and Dr. Steven Long.