Nina Benkonvich, on Monday morning, October 10,2022, left this earth for her heavenly home, where today she is surely dancing, celebrating and visiting with her parents, older brother, and former husband who went ahead of her. After fighting a valiant battle with pneumonia at Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach, California, she passed onto eternity at age 83, to be with her Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Nina (Antonina) was born January 7, 1939, in the little town of Corleone, Sicily, where she lived until she was 10 years old. In 1949, Nina and her family immigrated to Argentina, escaping the ravages of World War II in Europe. She lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina until she was 24 years old. On April 22, 1963, Nina immigrated to the USA with her husband, Gerard Benkonvich, and settled in Coloma, Michigan. However, soon the couple became intrigued by the allure of the American West and drove cross-country on route 66 to California. Three years later, they moved to the Bay area, settling in San Jose, California, where Nina resided until March 7, 2019. She has been living in Dana Point, California since March 2019, enjoying her golden years near family, along the Southern California coast.

While living in the Bay Area, Nina welcomed her two children—Claudia (now Paterson) and Adrian Benkonvich—into the world. The family returned to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1976, where they lived in the town of Beccar, a small suburb outside of Buenos Aires. However, two years later, the Benkonvich family decided to return to the USA. Nina lived in San Jose, California until 2019.

She enjoyed cooking, especially delicious Italian and Argentine dishes, and both of her children inherited her love for cooking. She also enjoyed tending to her flower garden, working and volunteering in her local community, and spending time with her family, especially her grandson Luke. Nina was especially known for her incredible faith and love of her Lord Jesus. She always loved to share, with anyone she met, the good news of God's saving grace and would often pray for those in need. Nina has most definitely left a strong spiritual legacy to her children.

In her remembrance, the family is requesting that instead of giving flowers, friends and relatives would donate in Nina's name to Angel Tree, a ministry arm of Prison Fellowship. Every year, Nina loved supporting Angel Tree, an organization which restores and strengthens relationships between incarcerated parents and their children and families. Every Christmas, Angel Tree mobilizes local churches and organizations to minister to hundreds of thousands of children by delivering a gift, the Gospel message, and a personal message of love on behalf of their mom or dad in prison.

Nina is survived by her son, Adrian and wife, Tatia, their son, Luke, and her daughter Claudia and her husband, Kevin, as well as her two sisters, Gina Bencovic and Rosa Panzarella, who are still living in Argentina.

A private burial service will be held for immediate family only at El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest, California, at 12 pm on Oct. 21 ^st . Later that day, Nina's family members will hold an open house in Nina's home in Dana Point, where family and friends can celebrate Nina's life and pay their respects to the family.

Donations to Angel Tree in memory of Nina Benkonvich can be made by calling 1-800-55-ANGEL (2-6435) . Please mention that you are making a donation for their Angel Tree program in Memory of Nina Benkonvich. Donations can also be made by mail: Prison Fellowship, P.O. Box 1550, Merrifield, VA 22116-1550.