Mrs. Helen K. Bensen, who raised her family in Rensselaerville where she and her husband worked on their dairy farm, died peacefully on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Tennessee where she had lived for 49 years. She was 96.

Daughter of the late John C. Legg and Jenny Brown, she was born in Saugerties, New York, the sixth child in a family of 10 siblings.

“Helen worked in the sewing industry as a seamstress as a teen,” her family wrote in a tribute. “She helped to raise her younger siblings and provided support for the large family.

“In 1953, she met her future husband, Paul, of Berne, at the racetrack in South Westerlo and they were married in 1954 at the Methodist Church in Saugerties. After their marriage, she joined her husband and his family in working the family dairy farm in Rensselaerville. It was quite a transition for Helen, having grown up and lived so many years in a small city, but she used her skills and made the adjustment easily.

“Their first son, Gordon, was born in 1955; Bruce was next in 1956, then Kathleen in 1959, and finally they were blessed by Janet’s birth in 1967. As the children grew, they learned their roles on the farm.  Helen and Paul both were patient teachers and the farm thrived.

“Canning, cooking, sewing, and driving the tractor in the summers to bale hay were just a few of the chores Helen took on. The garden in the summer was most important to fill jars for the long West Mountain winters. Helen was a master seamstress and sewed her children’s clothes for years.

“In 1976, the couple purchased a large farm in West Tennessee and moved their life to the sunny South. Helen was a true homesteader throughout her married life of 66 years to Paul. They worked side by side throughout the years on both farms.

“After they moved to Tennessee, Helen became interested in sewing quilts. The total number of quilts she has made isn’t known but you can be sure her children and grandchildren received more than one and many stuffed animals and toys all made with her love.

“She truly had a special talent for creating useful but beautiful things all sewn on the Singer machine gifted to her by Paul when they married. Her husband, Paul, passed away in 2020 and the next year Helen transitioned from the farm to Patriot Health. She was well loved by staff and residents and will be missed every day.”

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Helen K. Bensen is survived by her children, Gordon and Tracy of Rensselaerville; Bruce who resides on the family farm in Hollow Rock, Tennessee; Kate of Paris, Tennessee; and Janet and Dave of Murray, Kentucky. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

“The family wishes to thank everyone at Patriot that tenderly cared for our mother,” the tribute said. “She loved you all like her own.

“Helen will be laid to rest next to her beloved Paul in the Bensen family plot at the Rensselaerville Cemetery on Methodist Hill Road in Rensselaerville, New York.” There will be a graveside service held on Oct. 18 at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the National Audubon Society.