benkner was born in leipzig, germany, and emigrated to the u.s. in 1896. she grew up in peekskill, new york, where her family ran the "albert hotel", and as a young woman once met then president of the united states theodore roosevelt. on her 1908 marriage to karl benkner, she moved west, living in pennsylvania and ohio before retiring to arizona. already a supercentenarian and the oldest person in arizona, benkner returned to ohio to live in north lima with her sister tillie o'hare, her youngest sibling. tillie died in january 2004, just three weeks shy of becoming a centenarian. benkner survived her sister by only four months, and died at age 114 years 180 days, after a brief hospital stay in youngstown, ohio. benkner was buried in her childhood town of peekskill.