Barbara Sue (Farrier) Benjamin

Barbara Sue (Farrier) Benjamin was born July 23, 1952 and left this world behind February 2, 2021.  She was born the third of 8 children to Robert Farrier and Margaret Anne Farrier in Fort Worth, Texas.  When she was 5 years old, the family relocated to Hayden, Arizona.

Barb attended school in the Hayden School District through high school and graduated from Hayden High School in 1970.  It was during high school that she met her future husband, Michael L. Benjamin.  Barb and Mike became fast friends during the two years that Mike attended Hayden High School.

In 1969 Barb and Mike began dating and fell in love.  Barb and Mike attended Central Arizona College where Barb would receive her Associate's Degree in 1972.  That summer, on August 19, Barb and Mike were married at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Globe and began their life together of 48 years.

During those 48 years, Barb would take on many roles.  She became a mother to three children, Victoria A. Gruwell (Ashley), Catherine R. Post (James), and Matthew T. Benjamin.  She volunteered at Holy Angels School in Globe during the time her children attended the school.  She was the school librarian for many years. Later, when the need arose, Barb passed her state teacher certification test and began teaching science classes at Holy Angels and then fourth grade.  When the family moved to Tucson in 1996, Barb continued to work to help provide for the family and her children's education.  She worked as a customer care coordinator with University Hospital, customer care representative with Ventana Medical Systems, and then as Administrative Assistant to the mill maintenance department at the Sierrita Mine.  Upon moving back to Globe, Barb transferred to Freeport Miami becoming the Administrative Assistant in the accounting department, the job from which she retired at the end of 2014.

Barb loved spending time outdoors, especially in the mountains among the pines. She loved hunting, fishing, and camping with her family. She loved holidays spent with family, and the chance to host at her home. She loved everything about the Christmas season: decorating her home, putting up the tree, wrapping presents, filling stockings, looking at Christmas lights, singing carols and attending Christmas Eve Mass. She was a diehard ASU fan and loved the annual UofA/ASU football game. She loved singing, reading and playing games.  Mostly she loved spending time with her family doing these things together.

Barb was preceded in death by her mother and father.  She is survived by her husband and her three children, three grandchildren, Jordan L. Gruwell, Allison D. Gruwell, and Layna R. Post, her siblings, sister Dorothy Reese (Roy), brother Robert John Farrier (Nancy), sister Mary Stemm (John), sister Katy Cunningham (Carl), brother Paul Farrier (Anna), brother Mark Farrier (Karen), and brother Patrick Farrier (Dawn) and many nieces and nephews.