MADISON - On the evening of October 27, 2026, the world lost a very special woman: Elizabeth Ellen Bolstad Benjamin, known as "Betty," to her friends, and "Mom" to her two sons, Robert and Jeffrey, who took care of her -- as she took care of us -- in her final years, and were by her side during her passing. Heaven has a new angel now, and we still feel her presence in our lives, and most of all her deep love for us, which was unconditional and gives us the strength to carry on without her. Her loss is deeply felt to all who knew her and our grief is profound. We oriented our world according to you, we cared for you and called you every day to tell you that we loved you, and now we feel lost, but we know that you are in Heaven with your family and friends, you are at peace and are happy, and we still feel your love for us here on earth.

Elizabeth Ellen Bolstad was born on July 7, 1937, in Minneapolis, Minn., the second daughter of Sigvard Christian Bolstad and Clara Levona Brown Bolstad. She attended St. Olaf College and the University of Missouri, Columbia with a degree in special education. She then went on to teach in Minneapolis, where she met her future husband, John Allen Benjamin. They were married on Dec 21, 1963, in Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn. Her father's family came to the U.S. from Norway in the mid-1800s, and her mother was of Scotch-Irish heritage. She inculcated in us an appreciation of our Norwegian roots, and she enjoyed hearing about our various attempts to find and visit the family farm in Setskøg. She was as tough as they come, and held herself with dignity and poise throughout her life and through her final days.

She was the best mother a child could ask for, always curious, supportive and interested in our activities, and was a wonderful conversationalist. She could talk for hours about everything, and she remained active and engaged throughout our lives. She was witty, had a great sense of humor, and taught us how to laugh, filling our childhood days with mischievous pranks and surprises. She approached the world with great wonder and had a keen and penetrating intellect pertaining to events at home and in the wider world. She saw the big picture better than most. She was very creative and artistic and filled our lives and her home with beauty and grace.

We are completely lost without you, Mom, but we still feel your love within us and around us, and that will help us find our way again. We gain some solace in the knowledge that you are now in Heaven with the Lord, and we feel you looking down on us and smiling. We love you and we miss you, Mom.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420

Elizabeth Ellen Bolstad Benjamin

July 07, 1937 - October 27, 2026

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