Margaret (Mazur) Benda lived a full life.

Born September 29, 1926 in Corfu, NY to Joseph and Aniela Mazur, she passed away on July 23rdat Auburn Community Hospital at the age of 91.

She was a Registered Nurse and worked intermittently at Auburn Memorial Hospital. While attending nursing school at AMH with her new and then lifelong friend Mary (Peter) Smith, she met her future husband, Leslie John Benda of Elbridge.

They married on August 25, 1951in New York City and honeymooned in New England.After living in Skaneateles and Auburn they resided in Throop in a house built by Leslie and his brother William with the help of a family friend. Her later years were spent at the Boyle Center where she lived happily and enjoyed the activities and social company the center provided.

She was predeceased by Leslie on January 2, 1995 and by her siblings Caroline Hopkins, Joseph, Ted, Alice, and Mary Jane Golding. Her two children survive her, Mary Jean Benda of Geneva and Leslie Paul Benda of Mystic, CT.

In their retirement years, Marge and Les traveled frequently and enjoyed repeat visits to La Jolla, the Hawaiian Islands, Montreal, and Vancouver.

In her later years she traveled the world with Mary Jean and visited many countries in South America and Europe as well as an annual summer pilgrimage to Mystic. She thought of Mystic as her most special place and was always taken with its natural beauty and small town charm.

Marge was a faithful follower of “myboys,” the SU basketball team and knew their scheduleand players better than most fans and often stayed up late to watch a game.She also enjoyed watching the major golf tournaments and was a Phil Mickelson fan.

She got much enjoyment from her children’s pets and loved being “grandma dog” to Hemingway andCurtis. In lieu of flowers, she asked that donations be made to an animal rescue charity of your choice.

Marge Benda lived a full life and she will be missed by many.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Throopsville Community Church on September 29th at 2:00 with a gathering of family and friends to follow.