Obituary of Tania Benkovitz

Tania Benkovitz of Guilford, NY passed away unexpectedly at her homestead. She was born and raised in Queens, NY where she met her husband John. Before proposing, he asked if she would move upstate and live on a farm. Her answer was "yes" and had it been "no" this story would not have been. Tania's favorite childhood memories included caring for her younger siblings, Jesse, Jimmy, Johnny, Marilyn and Chris. She loved trips to the Museum of Natural History with brother Steve. She was incredibly proud that brother Mike served in the Navy. She worked at Shell Oil in the Montgomery Ward building and married John on January 29, 1966. They drove through a blizzard to their honeymoon in the Poconos. Later that year, their family grew by one with the birth of her first son Paul, brought home in a Christmas stocking. Tania and John moved to upstate NY the next year and eventually found their dream homestead, naming it Belly Acres. They raised cows, pigs, geese and rode horses. They increased their brood with the births of Terry, Matthew, Grace & Zachary. Tania's last pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, but Patricia Marie remained in her heart always. Tania was a writer for local papers and also a seamstress. She was a fierce advocate for the Guilford school and was very proud that all five of her children earned college degrees. Tania loved gardening (her tomatoes were THE BEST), her chickens, salty ocean air & the beach. When she finished raising her children, she enjoyed researching her family's genealogy and playing canasta with her friend Patricia. Her closest friends were Linda, Tim, Kathy and Andrea. They were loyal and loving, fulfilling her need for stimulating, intellectual conversation. In 2014, Tania was published in the New York Times, receiving credit for her 1964 World's Fair photos. An incredible feat for a 70 year old gal who lived on a farm. She adored her grandchildren, Amanda, Isaac, Cassiah, Quintin, Camden, Ethan, Nico, Sadie & Savannah. Tania insisted her children's partners, Kelley, Dewey, Julie, Aric & Ben, called her Mom. She was generous with her resources and a devote Catholic. Her love for the church and Mary always came first in her life. Second came the Benkovitz family. Tania loved Mom & Pop, Stephen, Carmen, Little Stephen, Anthony, Susan, Fred, Robert, Nancy, Joseph, Ruthanne, Andrew, Anne, Thom, Greg, Yeon, Vincent and all of their littles. Tania hosted a family reunion, The Belly Acres Bash, on her homestead for the past 16 years. We will miss her dearly this July and will probably drink too much beer while we reminisce about John + Tania and all the wonderful ways they left this world a better place. Calling hours are Friday January 24, 1-3p & 5-7p at CH Landers, Sidney, NY. Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, January 25, 10:30 am at St. John's, Bainbridge, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. John's Church, 34 S Main Street, Bainbridge, NY 13733 or The Guilford Historical Society, PO Box 201, Guilford, NY 13780.