BENNINGTON, Lucia Marie (Arras) of Germantown, Ohio, passed away February 22, 2009, after a battle with cancer. Beloved wife and mother, the center of Lucia's life was always her home and her family. Lucia was born January 10, 1923 in Jenera, Ohio. She married her high school sweetheart Clark in 1943 during World War II, following and supporting him as he trained throughout the US to pilot a B-17. She returned to Findlay during his deployment to Europe and worked as a telephone operator for Ohio Bell Telephone. The couple lived throughout Ohio after the war, Lucia always creating a lovely home with the barest of incomes. Her daughter, Carol, was born in Findlay; her daughter Jan in Springfield, and her daughter Patricia in Xenia. To that end, she worked for several years at Wickline's Greenhouse in Xenia creating floral arrangements. The family relocated to Centerville, Ohio in 1973 shortly after the Xenia tornado, and became active in her church, which was just starting up. Her husband, Clark, was then diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She continued her involvement with her church, and cared for her husband unfailingly. There she continued to care for her husband while becoming involved in her community and creating yet another beautiful home. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2005, she continued being active in senior center activities.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Clark, her parents Oliver and Clara Arras, her brothers Theron and Howard, and her sister Jeanne Hoch.

She is survived by her sister Magdalene Leiter of Findlay, Ohio, and two sister-in-laws, Joann Davidson of Reynoldsburg, OH and Barbara Benington of East Lansing, Michigan. Also surviving her are her three daughters: Carol (Donald) Hood of Arlington Heights, IL, Janet (Ted) Williamson of Farmersville, OH, and Patricia (Wesley) Brown of Austin, TX. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Amy (Chris) Kazor, Doug (Kara) Hood, Katherine (Jon) Crichton, Amanda Williamson, Warren Brown and Natalie Brown; also four great grandchildren: Aspen and Delaney Hood, and Evan and James Crichton. Dalton Funeral Home.

Published in the Dayton Daily News on 2/23/2009