Nancy Benson Obituary

Nancy L. Benson Boulder, Colo. Nancy Louise McCusker Benson, of Boulder, Colo., passed away at home Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. Nancy is survived by her husband, Ralph Vickrey, of Boulder, Colo.; daughter, Susan Benson Horn, son-in-law, Bryan Horn, and unborn baby, all of Windsor, Colo.; daughter, Amy Benson May, son-in-law, Osei May, and granddaughter, Palesa May, all of Boulder, Colo. Nancy is also survived by her father, David McCusker, of North Huntingdon; and siblings, Rosemary (Richard) Nilles, of Allison Park, Marilyn (Ron) Shannon, of Fort Wayne, Ind., and David Jr., of Burlington, N.C.; along with numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother, Margaret Caulfield McCusker; and brothers, Mark McCusker and James McCusker, all of North Huntingdon. Born Aug. 23, 1948, in McKeesport, Nancy had a lifelong passion for education. She graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School in 1966 and Carlow College in 1970. Nancy completed a master's degree in reading at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1975. In 1979, she earned her Ph.D. in secondary education at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has taught adult classes in English as a Second Language, worked at the Economics Institute at the University of Colorado and taught Junior High English. In 1997, Nancy opened Treehouse Learning, an early childhood education center in Lafayette, Colo., now in its 16th year of operation. A memorial service took place Friday, Aug. 17, 2012, at St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colo. To honor Nancy's legacy in the community, The Nancy L. Benson Memorial Fund has been established. Tax-deductible gifts can be made to The Community Foundation, 1123 Spruce St., Boulder, CO 80302, or on their website, www.commfound.org. Her children will recommend grants from the fund which honor Nancy's life and her passion for education.