Christel Juliane Benoodt, 95, passed away on Monday, December 21, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. Born November 9, 1925 in Schierke-im-Harz, Germany to Emil and Alwine Pflieger, she married Paul J. Benoodt in LaGrange, Illinois at the end of WWII. Paul had been a U.S. Army radio signal corpsman stationed on Brocken, the tallest mountain in the Harz Mountain range, overlooking Schierke. Christel was a competitive skier and worked in her father's photography studio shooting children's portraits. The couple lived briefly in Keokuk, Iowa before moving to Ottumwa, Iowa until their retirement in Twin Falls, Idaho in the 90s. In Ottumwa, Mrs. Benoodt hand colored black and white photography at Van's Photo Studio, was one of the first female Quality Control Inspectors at John Morrell & Company, and did piece-work at the John Deere plant until her retirement.

Mrs. Benoodt was a Brownie and Girl Scout leader, active in the Eastern Star, and a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ottumwa and the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Twin Falls. She enjoyed crocheting afghans and baking Nieman Marcus Bars and Apple Tortes as gifts for friends. She is survived by her daughters Julie Blank, Boise, ID, and Christine Benoodt, Chicago, IL; two grand-daughters, Erika Blank, Hailey, ID, and Krysta Blank, Boise, ID; a niece Christine Klamroth, Wernigerode, Germany and nephew Peter Schmidt, Schierke-im-Harz, Germany. She is preceded in death by her husband Paul Benoodt, and sister Margot Schmidt, Wernigerode, Germany. No funeral services are planned. Mr. and Mrs. Benoodt's ashes will be interred in Schierke where they met.