Gloria 'Punky' (Culver) Benjamin

The family of Gloria Benjamin, 95, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, is very sad to announce she passed away on May 28, 2023 after a brief illness.  She got her nickname Punky because her dad called her Pumpkin but her sister Ginny couldn’t pronounce it so called her Punky.  She was fondly called that by family and friends the rest of her life.

She was born May 16, 1928 in Swanzey, NH to parents Arthur and Rena Culver.  She attended Wilcox School until age 11 when the family moved to Concord, NH.  She had many fond memories of life there.  She graduated from Concord High School, class of 1946, with English honors.

She worked at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Concord until her marriage to Clarence Benjamin.  They moved to Manchester in the 1950s.  She was a wonderful stay-at-home mom for many years.  After Clarence passed away, she learned how to drive and went to work for several companies, but her favorite was Easter Seals of NH.  After retirement, she volunteered at the NH Food Bank.

In her lifetime, she loved activities of all kinds and from 1993 to 2018 competed in swimming, horseshoes, shuffleboard, bowling and pickleball in the NH Senior Games.  She loved a good joke, having fun, her Rock On pickleball friends, her dog Tucker, her cozy new house, gardening, and the many garden gnomes she received over the years.

She was pre-deceased by her beloved husband Clarence, sons Lance and Galen, her brother Ernest ‘Ernie’ Culver, sister Floris ‘Flossie’ Jellison and her longtime companion Stanley Drewniak.

She is survived by her brother Albert ‘Al’ Culver and wife Kay; sister Virginia ‘Ginny’ Fostier; Sandy Benjamin, wife of Galen; son Royd and wife Cheryl; daughter Dina Marshall and husband Steve; son Wade; grandchildren: Jason, Jessi, Ryan, Amber, Ben; great grandchildren (who called her GG):  McKenna, Coltyn, Liam, Micaela, Hannah; and many nieces and nephews.

A gathering of family and friends will be held at the Cremation Society of NH, 243 Hanover St., Manchester NH on Thursday June 8 from 5:00 to 7:00PM.  In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Gloria’s name to Easter Seals of NH or the NH Food Bank.

https://www.easterseals.com/nh/ways-to-give/donate.html

https://nhfoodbank.org/get-involved/donate/