Roger Benson

Roger Lansing Benson, 88, of Sioux City, IA passed away Saturday, December 27, 2014 at a Sioux City hospital with his loving family at his side after a short illness. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 2, 2015, at Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City, with funeral service following at 11 a.m. Reverend Tom LoVan will officiate and Diana Michaelis will be the organist. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery with military funeral honors. Pallbearers will be his sons; Craig, Elliott, Jeffrey, and Troy and grandsons; Bjorn and Bryce. Roger was born on October 21, 1926 in Adrian, MN, the son of Joseph O. Benson and Lillian Wemple Benson. He graduated from high school in 1944 and began working at Graff Motor Supply Company in Sioux Falls. At the age of 18, he registered for the draft and was inducted into the Army in January of 1945. After spending time in the Philippines, he served on Gen. MacArthur's General Headquarters (GHQ) Special Troops during the Allied Occupation of Japan, following WWII. During his time in the Army, Roger achieved rank of Corporal. He was discharged in September of 1946. He returned home in November and attended Mankato Business School before transferring to Worthington Junior College. From there he attended Gustavus Adolphus College and graduated in 1951 with a Bachelors of Arts degree. He continued his education at Morningside College to obtain a Bachelors of Science teaching degree, as well as a master's degree. In addition to his advanced degrees, Roger also received his K-12 special education certification from the University of South Dakota. Roger and Betheen met on a blind date in 1955 and were married 6 months later. He began teaching elementary grades in September of 1955 in Worthington, MN before moving to Sioux City in 1961. In 1983, he retired from the 185th TFG as a Master Sergeant after serving 32 years in the military on active duty, reserve and guard. During the 1968 Pueblo Crisis, he was called up by the Air Force to serve 9 months in Korea. He returned to continue teaching and retired in June of 1994. Roger served on the board for Sioux City's Teacher's Credit Union, as well as the Sioux Valley Credit Union. He was also a member of the Sioux City Masonic Lodge and Abu Bekr Shrine Vintage Wheels, a member of the American Legion Post 662 in Sergeant Bluff, IA, and served as District Governor for the Lions Club. During his spare time, he enjoyed photography and listening to big band music. Roger is survived by his wife of 59 years, Betheen Benson; son, Craig Benson, his wife Shellie and granddaughter Lauren, of Ankeny, IA; son, Elliott Benson, his wife Kimberly and grandchildren, Bjorn and his wife Melissa, Bryce and Lindsay, of Atlanta, GA; son, Jeffrey Benson, his wife Leisa and granddaughters, Kathryn Ciesielczyk and her husband Nathan, Ashley and Lynette, of Forest Lake, MN; daughter, Crystal, and grandson, Terral, of Oregon; daughter, Carolee Humes, her husband Craig and grandsons, Jools and Rand, of St. Paul, MN; son, Troy Benson, of Sioux City, IA; and sister-in-law, Dorothy Benson, of Brookhaven, MS. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Lillian Benson and brother, Joseph M. In lieu of flowers, memorials should be sent to the Shriner's Hospitals for Children in Minneapolis, MN.