Elena Benioff was born 16 October, 1932, in Pasadena, California, to Alice Silverman Benioff and Hugo Benioff. She was the youngest of three siblings, with one older brother and one younger sister.
Elena met her first husband, Ernest Gilson (Gil) Jackson, on the family ranch in Nevada where he had been hired to help with the cattle. They married in Berkeley, California, on 15 June, 1951 when Elena was 18. They settled in Colorado and had two sons and one daughter.
She married Richard Alan Slusser on 11 June, 1965 in Allenspark, Colorado. He brought two children to the marriage. Elena and Richard were divorced 10 November, 1977.
Elena became a CPA. She met and settled down with Jean Cannella in Longmont, Colorado, where she died in October of 2024.
Elena Benioff was born on October 16, 1932 in Pasadena, CA She was the youngest of 3 children of Victor Hugo Benioff and Alice (Silverman) Benioff. Her parents loved being outdoors and instilled this love in Elena from childhood. She enjoyed summers at the family cabin in Mammoth, CA and at a ranch near Elko, NV. Elena attended the University of California at Berkeley but in 1950 she moved to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado and fell in love with the state. Elena earned a degree in Fine Arts from CU and later earned a degree in accounting. She owned her accounting and tax preparation business for more than 20 years. Elena also earned the designation, “Enrolled Agent” in order to represent tax clients with the IRS. Elena loved being a mother to her 3 biological children, Warren Jackson, San Francisco, CA, Melanie Jackson Georgalas, MD (Gregory, deceased), Stratford, CT, and Kenneth Jackson (Ramela Mehta), Big Sky, MT and to her 2 stepchildren. Nicolette Toussaint (Mason Ingram), Longmont, CO and Gene Slusser (Michele), Denver, CO. Elena has 8 grandchildren and 1 great grandson. Elena was an adventurous and risk-taking woman. She summited 6 of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks. On bicycle, she traversed California’s Pacific Coast Highway and also summited Colorado’s 12,095 foot Independence Pass. Elena skied, rock climbed, and backpacked throughout Colorado. As she aged, Rocky Mountain National Park was her favorite place to be, the sights, sounds, feel, and smells for the Park filled her soul and lifted her spirit. Elena was determined to hike as many different trails in the Park as she could; she hiked almost every weekend. She was especially fond of Upper Beaver Meadows with the panoramic view of Long’s Peak and the surrounding summits. Elena loved the feel of the wind on her face and would often stop a hike to experience the wind blowing on her and to listen to the sound of the wind in the trees. Elena was an accomplished classical pianist. She would play the piano in the morning as the kids were waking up and getting ready for school. More recently, the radio was usually softly on all day, tuned to KVOD, the Denver classical radio station. Elena was an avid bird lover and traveled to 3 states, 4 locations in search of the elusive pileated woodpecker. She finally saw pileated woodpeckers at the Audubon sanctuary, Corkscrew Swamp in Florida. Elena was a joyful gardener and designed and filled the flower beds in her yards with native plants and flowers that brought her years of delight as she watched the seasons pass. Elena was an artist and loved the free flow of color and shapes that could express her feelings on canvas. She loved to talk about the negative space of a picture and what it added to the understanding of an art piece. Elena loved animals, especially dogs and cats. She told numerous stories of having 5 dogs and 2 cats in the house at one time. She reveled in the playfulness of the huskies. Her last fur babies were Blue and Muffin, both well beloved by her. Although people often thought she was shy, Elena was quick with a witty comeback or gentle tease, always given with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. She spoke up in groups when she felt she had something to contribute. Elena was kind, gentle, generous, tender, and loving. She could set limits and always be honest in an assessment. Elena loved being a part of TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) of Longmont for many years. She was treasurer of the group for some time. She had a deep connection with the members of TOPS and felt accepted and valued with them. She shared information with the members about health and nutrition and with the help of the group was able to reach her goal weight and maintained it twice. In 1998, via a mutual friend, Elena met Jean Cannella, who became her loving and devoted partner for the rest of Elena’s life. Elena was very active in and a member of the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Lafayette. For a time, Elena volunteered in the Fellowship office and put her accounting skills to good use. Elena’s physical decline began in February of this year. Serious surgery was necessary and after a difficult recovery, Elena rejected any further interventions. Elena entered TRU hospice at home in March. There was a steady stream of visitors to her home from all parts of Elena’s life who sang, read, played music, and often just held her hand. She received loving and compassionate care from Jean, many friends, the nurses, and the care aides until her death at home on September 2. Elena was and is deeply loved and missed by her partner, Jean, her family, and many from her various communities who knew this gentle, kind, and loving spirited woman. A Celebration of Life for Elena is open to all on Saturday October 5 at 2 PM at the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 1241 Ceres Drive Lafayette In lieu of flowers, a contribution can be made to the BVUUF Legacy Fund or to the Mill Dog Rescue P.O.Box 88468 Colorado Springs, CO 80908.