BY ROBIN LUTHANEN
Gazette Newspapers
PERRY – She sits in the front row, attentive and focused as the beachball arcs over the net. She reaches out and volleys it back.
Considered one of the better players, Theora Benson participates in chair volleyball twice a week at the Perry Senior Center.
By the way, she turned 99 Sunday, Aug. 10.
The longtime northeast Ohio resident moved from Pennsylvania to Grand River in 1947 to live with an aunt. The oldest of 12, she settled there and reared a family.
“In those days, if you had a husband who worked, you volunteered,” she said.
She volunteered with a Grand River group that supported firefighters. She helped with a store at the Painesville Senior Center. She won awards for her unselfishness.
Besides her volunteerism, she also worked at Carlisle’s as well as a Richmond Street convenience store.
Volunteering has been Benson’s secret to her longevity.
“She has always been so busy and she never slacked,” said Benson’s daughter, Bobbie Williams. “Keep busy! Volunteering helps you and the community both.”