Mary Joy Benson, RGS
March 13, 1933-December 13, 2022
Sister Mary Joy Benson, RGS., 89, of Danville, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Tuesday December 13, 2022, at Nazareth Memory Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.
She was born to Paul D. Benson and Mary Catherine Murphy Benson on March 13, 1933, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her birth name was Frances Louise Benson.
She attended St. Ambrose elementary school and Seaton high school in Baltimore. Upon inquiry, she was received by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd as a candidate for their formation program on July 16, 1953. She pronounced her first vows on February 11, 1956, and final vows on August 22, 1959.
At the time of her first vows, she took the religious name Sr. Mary of our Lady of Joy. In her early years as a Sister of the Good Shepherd, Sr. Mary Joy served in our residential programs for adolescent girls. Her ministries included assistant group leader and teacher in Baltimore, Maryland, and principal in Batesburg, South Carolina.
Sister Mary Joy had great love for music. In 1972 she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, with a concentration in music from Marywood University, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Her subsequent ministries included: elementary school music teacher in Baltimore; elderly care volunteer to our Sisters at Fort Thomas, Kentucky; and volunteer work in nursing homes in Philadelphia. Her most recent service had been to people in need that she encountered through her volunteer work in Philadelphia.
Sister Mary Joy delighted in sharing her humor and love for music with those she encountered in her neighborhood and organizations where she volunteered.
Sister Mary Joy was committed to ongoing formation and training. She earned certificates for graduate courses in special education from Temple University; general education from St. Joseph College, Philadelphia; and advanced professional certification from the Maryland State Department of Education.
Sister Mary Joy will be remembered for her deep commitment and sensitivity to those who were marginalized and/or neglected. She will also be remembered for her great simplicity of life and for her unwavering loyalty to family and friends.
Sister Mary Joy is survived by her sister Rosemary Owings, brother-in-law Nelson Owings, six nieces, and six nephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters Patricia, Eileen, and Camilla.
A Mass of Resurrection was offered at Maria Hall Chapel. Burial followed at All Saints Cemetery in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.