Obituary: Ruth Anderson Fitzgerald Bennison

Ruth Anderson Fitzgerald Bennison 1918 ~ 2006 Mom was born February 28th, 1918 on a bitterly cold morning in Smoot, Wyoming. She was the 2nd daughter of Nephi Ray and Olive Orene Walton Anderson. She weighed less than five pounds at birth and was small enough to fit in a shoebox. Her mother would often say "Ruth, you were born in a hurry and have been in a hurry ever since." Mom had seven brothers and sisters. Leah, Reef, Ray and Orene preceded her in death. Her remaining two brothers are Wayne Anderson (Mona) and Heber Anderson (Elma). Mom's father, Nephi died when the family was very young forcing mom, age 8 and her older sister, Leah, age 10, to live with neighbors to earn their board and keep. These experiences would bond her closely with her siblings but losing her father would affect mom the rest of her life. In 1934, at the age of 16, she left Wyoming and came to Salt Lake to hopefully make a better life for herself. She applied for a job as a housekeeper for a widower, (Printess Fitzgerald) with nine children. Their ages ranged from 2 to 17. Mom fell in love with the kids and when their father asked her to marry him, she did. With the exception of Printess Kay (Arlene) they all preceded her in death; Gail, Leah, Maydell, Gerald, Bliss, Walter, Paul and Crozier. Mom and Printess had four more children, Betty Ruth Bell, Nephi, (Leona) Perry Glenn, and Orene. Printess died in 1949. Mom got remarried on March 13, 1952 to his first cousin, Aurelius Brown Fitzgerald. That happy marriage produced three more children, Brian, (Kristie) Colleen Winkler, (Clark) and Kathryn Fullmer, (Floyd). A.B. would die in February 1960 leaving her a widow for the second time and it would be seven years before she would marry again. She married Eric Bennison in 1968 and that marriage would last until his death in 1993. Mom is survived by her seven children and 40+ grandchildren. Funeral Services will held at Goff Mortuary, 8090 So. State St. in Midvale, Thursday August 17, 2006 at 11 a.m. Family and friends can pay their respects from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. prior to the funeral.