Betty Benson, the bookkeeper and baton twirler, nicknamed P-38 Lightning because she could outrun all the boys in high school, passed away July 25, 2026, with her family, at Monument Health Hospital in Custer, South Dakota, from natural causes at the age of 94.
She grew up in the Gothenburg area and graduated from Gothenburg High School. She and her first husband, Lawrence Morrison, raised two sons in Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado: Lawrence Jr Morrison of Las Vegas, Nevada and Robert Morrison of Hot Springs, South Dakota. In partnership with her second husband, Harold Benson, they built a successful construction company
in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Survivors include a brother, John (Karla) Fecht of Cozad; sisters, Vicki (Lawrence) Lutjemeyer of Syracuse and Jody (Gary) Kotschwar of Moorefield; five grandchildren, Burk. Krista, Josephine, Sean, and Angela; and numerous nephews and nieces. Preceding her in death are her parents, Gerhardt and Viola (Jungren) Fecht; sister, Joann; brothers, William, Ralph (Stan) and Ron Fecht. Committal services were held on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at Gothenburg Cemetery in Gothenburg. Arrangements were placed in the care of Chamberlain McColley's Funeral Home in Custer, South Dakota.