To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.
Thank you for visiting the Arkansas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arkansas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 6/7/21 • Approved: 6/8/21 • Last Updated: 6/11/21 • R1377855-G0-S3
SPECIALIST FOURTH CLASS US Army
February 6, 1934 - May 16, 2015
*Obituary
Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Sunday, May 24, 2015
BELLA VISTA — Thomas Irving Benson, age 81.
Born Feb. 6, 1934 in Milwaukee, Wis., to Irving and Agnes Benson. Died May 16, 2015, at Concordia Nursing Home, Bella Vista, Ark.
Tom is survived by his beloved wife, Bernadine, his daughter, Erica Benson, his brother John Benson, his sister Donna Dumpys, and two grandsons, Alec and Maxwell.
Tom's life was full of family, a love of learning, great appreciation of music and art, and of course, golf. He grew up and graduated high school in Milwaukee, Wis. before moving to Minneapolis, Minn, to attend Augsburg College.
He married his first wife, Peggy Christienson, and graduated from Augsburg in 1956. In 1957 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and deployed to serve in France for two years. Tom later moved to Madison, Wis., where he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin PhD program in American History.
While at Madison he married Nancy Nelson, and in 1972 his daughter, Erica, was born.
Tom worked the remainder of his career in academia, first at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisc., and later for Augsburg College, his alma mater. He worked as Director of Planned Giving at Augsburg College for the rest of his career.
In 1984, Tom met and married his wife of over 30 years, Bernadine Benson, who has been with him until his death. After his retirement in 1998, Torn and Bernie moved to Bella Vista, Ark.
A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, May 29, 2015, at 2 p.m. at Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista, 1880 Forest Hills Blvd., Bella Vista, Ark. 72715. Rev. Liz Wagner will officiate.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista.
Online condolences may be made to www.funeralmation.com.
Contributed on 6/7/21 by judyfrog
Email This Contributor
Suggest a Correction
Record #: 1377855