It is with great sorrow and great love that we announce the passing of Elsie Teresa Beniger Magennis on March 9, 2021. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, sister and friend, Elsie was born on February 27, 1926, in Helena, Montana, to Anna and Frank Beniger. She had many stories about growing up on the family farm in Montana with her three sisters, Ann, Margaret and Frances, and her brother, Frank. She moved to Santa Barbara in her late teens and as much as she loved Montana, she fell in love with Santa Barbara and made it her home. Elsie married her late husband, Ernest Magennis, on April 12, 1948, and she loved to tell the story of their meeting at a wrestling match. When they built their home in San Roque in 1953, Elsie even did some of the finish carpentry herself, which led to an article about her in the local paper where she was described as “…slender as a willow in the wind, and just as graceful.” She loved making her home a hub of activity and a welcoming destination for friends and family.
Everyone who knew Elsie will tell you that she was a very special person, with a playful spirit and a wonderful, wry sense of humor. She was very proud of both of her sons, Edward and Steven, and she was enormously grateful for every minute she got to spend with her 3 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. They will tell you that no one was better at baking cookies, packing care packages and loving grandkids than Elsie Magennis.
Elsie is survived by her sons, her beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as nieces, nephews, and many friends who were chosen family. A memorial and celebration of Elsie’s life will be held when we can all gather safely together. Remembrances may be made to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul at San Roque Catholic Church.
