Her funeral will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington, and 10 a.m. at Epiphany Church, Normal, with Monsignor Eric Powell officiating. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Normal. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home, with the rosary recited at 4 p.m. Memorials may be made to Epiphany Church Youth Program.

She was born Oct. 10, 1917, in Clinton, the daughter of John Thomas and Nora McNamara Clifford. She married John J. "Zip" Schneider Jr. on Feb. 17, 1942, in Peoria. He died Nov. 30, 2002.

Survivors include two daughters, Michele "Shelly" (Gary) Gilfillan, Towanda; and Vicki Finfrock, Mt. Morris; two sons, Terry (Sue) Schneider, Decatur; and Jeff (Brenda) Schneider, Armington; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Mary Beauford and Josephine Norris; and three brothers, Dan, Tom and Paul Clifford.

Benita graduated from Centralia High School and St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing. She was a registered nurse and worked at St. James Hospital, Pontiac, for nine years. She worked for 14 years for Dr. Paul Pedersen in Bloomington.