Funeral services for Doris Pauline Benesh, 72, of Austin, will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Hayward Lutheran Church. The Rev. John Malm will officiate. Interment will be at the Bohemian National Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. prior to the service at the church.

Doris died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.

Doris Pauline Benesh was born on June 15, 1935, to Erwin and Alice Larson in Jewell, Iowa. She was the youngest of nine children. Her family moved to Hayward in 1936 and Doris was baptized and confirmed at the Hayward Lutheran Church. Doris attended school in Hayward and Albert Lea Public Schools graduating in 1953. She graduated from Mankato State Teachers College with a teaching degree and taught elementary school for several years. Doris married Kenneth L. Benesh on June 23, 1957, in Hayward. The couple resided for 47 years in the Myrtle area where they worked together farming and co-owned Ken&8217;s Place in Myrtle. She spent several years as a caregiver for her mother-in-law, Mabel, and for her husband Ken. They moved to Austin and lived there for the past three years. Doris was a member of the Trondhjem Lutheran Church, and the Myrtle Historical Society. She enjoyed collecting Czech crystal, antiques, animals, reading, flowers, gardening, travels and many fishing trips with Ken.

Survivors include her husband, Kenneth; brothers, Daryl (Pat) Larson of Marshfield, Wis., and Erwin (Ruth) Larson of Austin; sister Lucille (Bill) Stephenson of Aurora, Colo.; sister-in-law, Lucille Larson of Albert Lea; and a multitude of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews, and great-grandnieces and nephews; special friends, Larry and Paula Goslee, Lance and Sharon Davis and family, Dick and Fay Madson and family, Wayne and Arcley Wahlers, Willie Gisch, Jeff Larson, Roger and Delores Saman, Michael Booher, Dee Soiney and Dan and Bonnie Belshan.

Doris was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Everett (Pearl) Larson, Luverne (Helen) Larson, Jewel (Evelyn) Larson and Curtis Larson; and sister, Ethel (Ben) Fliss.