In Love We Honor the Life of
Debra R. H. Benson

Rev. Debra R. H. (Renee Hanson) Benson, mother, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, friend, pastor, preacher, teacher, and beloved child of God, was born on March 12, 1959, in Rock Rapids, Iowa, to Romelda Ann Norma (Braaten) Hanson and Lyle Skyberg Hanson. Debbie grew up in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, with her two brothers, Larry and Jon. The family moved to Moorhead, Minnesota, where Deb graduated from Moorhead High School in 1977. She attended Concordia College and was a proud Concordia "Cobber," graduating with a degree in Psychology in 1981. During her  summers, Deb was a camp counselor at Luther Crest Bible Camp, in Minnesota and Camp Lutherwood, in Washington.

Deb's first call right out of college was as the youth director at Concordia Lutheran Church in   Superior, Wisconsin.  After three years, she attended Luther Northwestern Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she met and married Lewis Benson.  They did their internship year in the Skagit  Valley of Washington State where Lewis served Burlington Lutheran Church and Deb served First  Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon.  Deb and Lewis welcome their daughter, Kayla Christine, during their last year of seminary and graduated from Luther Seminary in May 1988. Deb was ordained as an ELCA Lutheran pastor, one of the first women in the ministry, and took her first call to Grace Lutheran Church in Ada, Minnesota. During this time, Deb and Lewis welcomed their second daughter, Kathryn Marie.

In 1993, after feeling a strong pull to return to the Pacific Northwest, the family moved to Mount Vernon, Washington, where Deb and Lewis shared a call at Salem Lutheran Church. Deb and Lewis helped the church move from their original downtown location to a new site, where Deb led the first worship service, and presided over the first baptism, communion, and wedding at the new church. In 1999, Deb took a call at Oak Harbor Lutheran Church working with youth and leading confirmation. During this time she also served as the interim summer director of Lutherwood Bible Camp and joined her husband as interim  pastor at the Lutheran Church of the San Juans, where they flew in six-seater Cessna airplanes out of the Anacortes Airport to minister to the congregations on Orcas, Lopez, and San Juan Islands each Sunday.

In 2002, Deb accepted a call to serve as the lead pastor of Anacortes Lutheran Church, where she fulfilled one of her life's greatest callings, ministering to her congregation through their life's greatest milestones. She performed countless baptisms, weddings, and funerals, while preaching and sharing the good news of God in ways both large and small - from the pulpit and through one-on-one conversations in her office, at the store, or anywhere she happened to meet you. Deb was friendly, vivacious, and could strike up a meaningful conversation with anyone! She was an engaging preacher who found God's presence in all of life's events. She was creative, determined, and adventurous, and she enjoyed planning trips for her family and church family, for destinations both domestic and abroad.

In August 2019, Deb was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma. She was blessed with wonderful doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who helped her live life to the fullest throughout her treatment, despite the pandemic. In her last year, Deb was able to meet her twin grandsons, travel to visit family and friends, and begin a long-awaited home renovation. Debra passed away peacefully, on March 2, 2021, surrounded by family and wrapped in the love of the Holy Spirit. She is survived by her husband, Lewis Benson of Mount Vernon, WA; daughters Kayla (Ryan) Hoel of Minneapolis, MN, and Kathryn (Greg) Benson of San Francisco, CA; parents Romelda and Lyle Hanson of Moorhead, MN; grandsons, Jackson and Soren Hoel; brothers Larry (Shannon) Hanson and Jon (Linda) Hanson; brother-in-law Ern (Lorretta) Benson and sister-in-law Christine (Kent Barringer), nieces Emily, Anna, Hanna, Calli, Felisha and nephews Patrick, Trevor, and Erik; and over twenty, first cousins and their families. She is   preceded in death by her brother Bruce and nephew Andrew.

She will be laid to rest at Grand View Cemetery in Anacortes, Washington.

Debra was a loving mother, wife, daughter, sister, pastor, and friend who will be forever missed. She lives on in the memories she made here on earth and the lessons she taught her family, her friends, and her flock. We will cherish her memory and hold her spirit in our hearts, until we are    reunited with her in the heavenly kingdom. Until then, we know she is held in God's arms where she has been welcomed with the loving words, well done, my good and faithful servant.

To share memories of Debra please post to the guestbook at www.evanschapel.com/obituary/debra-benson