Ilarie Crain, A great mother and friend has passed away

Ilarie was born to Thomas Leroy and Leora Benningfield in Wichita Kansas on June 4, 1940.

She was welcomed by her older siblings Leslie (Benny) Benningfield and Nyla Benningfield-Heath.

In 1946 the family moved to Snohomish to settle, later moving to Seattle where Ilarie attended Queen Anne High School. Soon after she started her family.

In 1969 she moved with her 5 children to Anchorage, Alaska where she was well respected in Social Work including Chairman of Welfare Rights for Alaska, Washington and Oregon. She also went to Washington D.C. to present a program to the Senate that she had written up that was later known as WIC.

 Ilarie ran for Representative of State but had to drop out to move back to Washington due to the health of her parents. There she met her beloved husband Richard who proceeded her in death by 10 years.

In the Seattle/Bellevue area she worked as an Apartment Manager at several different locations and continued helping people as best as she could. She had a big heart and loved and accepted everyone as family.

She is survived by her sister Nyla (Sandy) Heath; her sons, James (Debbie) Benningfield and Leslie (Dawn) Benningfield; daughters: Isla (Dave) Swarthout, Jeri (Michael) Sellers (Jeri passed away shortly following her mother the first week of 2014) and Joie (Thomas) McCauley-Solsberry.

Ilarie is also survived by her grandchildren: James, Sheena, Lisa, Shawn, David, Jeremy, Joshua, Rachel and Katie; and great grandchildren: Sharon Grace , Brian, Zachary, Aliyah, Jackson, Tyler and Haylee; as well as her many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and cousins and friends.She loved all her family very much and surrounded herself with their pictures and keepsakes.

We will miss her forever.