Anne Gertrude Benzinger

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Anne Gertrude Benzinger, 92, passed away peacefully on March 2, 2026 with family by her side.

Anne was born on November 15, 1933 to Henry and Beatrice Hanson in North Minneapolis. She spent her early years in Minneapolis graduating from North High School. Her close circle of grade school girlfriends remained in touch throughout her entire life.

In November of 1955 she married Ramon Prior and they raised six children. They raised their family in the Holy Name Lake area of Wayzata. The kids had plenty of room to play! Anne was always cooking, baking, canning, or freezing food to provide for her large brood. In her “spare” time, she could be found at her sewing machine making matching PJ’s, jumpers, dresses, shirts and even coats. She also knitted and crocheted sweaters, hats, and mittens! As a child she daydreamed of having a dozen kids. They got practical and stopped at six! Raising a family was always a major love and the center of her world.

The 80’s were a decade of major lifestyle changes. During that time, she met Richard (Dick) Benzinger. They were married in July 1986—their years together were short but she truly was happy with her “Prince Charming”. They traveled together and enjoyed the sunsets of Hawaii and Florida! It was a very happy time in her life.

She especially enjoyed when the grandkids began to arrive in the family—she showered them with her silliness and lots of her famous peanut butter cookies! Anne’s role as grandma was important to her. She attended sporting events, recitals, and other outings and never missed an opportunity to offer them encouragement or wisdom.

In 2022, she moved to Assisted Living at New Perspectives and eventually moved to Memory Care. While not an easy move initially, she made friends with everyone in the building. She loved to play Bingo, enjoyed the movie theatre, the social parties and all the activities, music, and entertainment. She often called it “living in a Country Club”. The staff and caregivers all embraced her “spiciness” and silliness. She was loved by many of them.

Anne had a gift for putting a smile on people’s faces and she was loved deeply for it. She had a wicked sense of humor, fast quips and a joke or comment for all she encountered. She truly valued her friendships and loved to surround herself with her friends and family.

She will be missed by so many people, especially those friends she helped in recovery for over 46 years. Our hearts will not be the same without her.

She is survived by her children, Paulette Tomaschko, Tom (Tawnia) Prior, Steve Prior, Diane (Ivan) Dingmann, Karen (Matt) Petersen, and Jim (Leanne) Prior. Her grandchildren: Kacie (Trevor) Hennen, Kerrie (Travis) Whiting, Jack Dingmann; Nisa Prior (Matthew Barvels), Alyssa (Scott) Mellgren; Erin (Joey) Graziano, Alex Prior, Ethan Prior and Graham Prior. Her great grandchildren, Addie, Elliot and Colin Graziano; Amelia and Charlie Hennen; Billy, Rory and Henry Whiting; and Jensen and Ruth Mellgren. Brother: Rolf Hanson

Preceded in death by her husband, Richard Benzinger; father of her children, Ramon Prior; and son-in-law Dale Tomaschko.

There will be a celebration of Anne’s life on Monday March 23, 2026 at 1:30pm with visitation an hour prior at Gearty-Delmore Plymouth Chapel 15800 37th Ave No, 55446. A private family interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers the family would prefer memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association https:/www.alz.org/.