Corinne "Benoni" Theel

October 7, 1952 - May 5, 2020

Corinne “Benoni” Lee Theel passed away peacefully on May 5th, 2020. She was born on October 7th, 1952 to Reed and Sharon McDermaid. Corinne was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. In her youth, she loved visiting her Great Grandma Helen in her Avenues “secret garden” where she also fell in love with animals. She was a lifetime animal advocate and pet owner. To her, animals’ souls were just as important, if not more so than the human. She is a graduate of West High School and then moved on to the University of Utah, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Special Education in 1975. She was a dedicated teacher and advocate for children with special needs throughout her career as an educator. In her later years, Corinne was a very spiritual individual, who admired eastern philosophies of spirit. This led her to be a minister for many years for The Universal Life Church. In her latter days, she was a strong advocate for underrepresented populations of all kinds, particularly the LGBT community. She enjoyed visits in her last years from friends and family, particularly her confidant and dear sister, Melanie, who lunched with her frequently. Helen and Les Spencer, her dear grandparents preceded her in death, as did her longtime partner, Ina. She is survived by her parents, Reed and Sharon, sister, Melanie and children Jen and Matt. A celebration of her life will be held in the summer of 2021, to assure that we are through the COVID pandemic and for the safety of all. We would like to thank the team at Woodland Park Care Center, who were so kind to Mom and were with her when she passed. Please share memories and condolences at www.serenityfhs.com