2020/01/obit-lohman-filename-1-200x300.jpgBenny Lohman passed away gently in the presence of family and friends on the evening of Jan. 27. She and her late husband, Sandy, were proud residents of Pagosa Springs for many years.
Benny was a tremendous example to us all from her earliest days in Selinsgrove, Pa. — Snyder County 100-yard dash champion and valedictorian of her high school class. She followed that with being selected as captain of the Penn State Gymnastics Team and president of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
After college graduation, she volunteered for duty in the U.S. Navy during World War II. While stationed in Arizona as a Navy recruiter, she met her first husband, Capt. Richard Seigler, USAF, who was tragically killed in a fighter plane crash during inclement weather over the island of Formosa.
She later met and married Sandy Lohman. During their 64-year marriage, they raised three sons — Chuck, Ric and Chip — during Air Force assignments around the world. Benny joined Sandy in attending Portuguese Language School and was a tremendous help to him during two assignments to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and to the Azores Islands.
Benny enjoyed social events and, with little coaxing, would perform an enthusiastic rendition of the Charleston! While in Pagosa Springs, Benny loved to tackle the slopes at Wolf Creek — particularly when she learned that she had reached the age threshold to ski for free! At age 92, she placed second in the Senior Nationals in the Women’s 100-meter dash. She was a proud Life Member of the Veterans for Veterans of Archuleta County. She was also a lifetime member of the Pagosa Springs Women’s Golf Association (PGWGA) and a role model for women golfers for many decades, on and off the course. The PGWGA ladies were delighted to honor Benny at a luncheon in celebration of her 100th birthday last July (one of six birthday celebrations that week).
The world will never know a sweeter, more dedicated, more compassionate lady. We are so lucky that she was a part of our lives for so long. Hers was truly a life worth living.
