To view a livestream of the service access https://flcminot.com/view-worship/

To view the flowers from Richard's service, click here: Richard Benson Flowers

Richard Benson , 89, Minot, died Thursday, April 1, 2021 in his home surrounded by his loving family.

Richard Marlan "Dick" Benson was born on November 9th, 1931 in Minot, ND to Lyle and Margaret (Howe) Benson. At the age of four, Richard resided with his grandparents Carl and Rose Benson on their farmstead located in the South Prairie area near Minot, ND. During his early educational years, Richard attended South Prairie Country School under the supervision of his uncle and aunt, Ed and Inga Mathis while residing at their farmstead. Richard extended his education by attending Minot Model School while living with his mother in Minot.

Prior to graduating, Richard ventured west in 1946 to Spokane, Washington where his father Lyle lived. Eager to get to work he was able to secure a job with Weyerhaeuser Timber as a logger. Richard returned to Minot, ND in 1949 to work for Bee Line Service and for Bober-Pietsch Construction Co. building roads. With an ambition to join the Navy, Richard completed his education by receiving his G.E.D. in 1952.

On October 3 ^rd , 1952 Richard volunteered and enlisted into the U.S. Navy where he was recommended to strike for a mechanics rating because of his exceptionally fine skill set. His basic training began in San Diego, California and was completed in Port Hueneme, California where he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion better known as the Sea Bee's.

During basic training, Richard would meet the love of his life Elaine Olson at a USO formal in Minot, ND. The two fell in love, each having a strong love for dancing, and married on September 14 ^th , 1953. Elaine accompanied Richard back to California throughout basic training. With noticeable dancing talent, the duo stood out to a particular band leader who noted their smooth dancing style. This individual enjoyed watching Richard and Elaine waltzing to his music so he would direct his band to play their favorite waltz. This band leader is better known today as Lawrence Welk!

Following basic training, Richard was deployed to Korea where he was stationed on the 38 ^th Parallel, separating North and South Korea. Serving with the 101 ^st US Naval Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit their mission consisted of building highline communications, underwater welding, and constructing infrastructure including roads, bridges, and runways plus any demolition deemed necessary. Because of their quick response time and ability to rapidly complete tasks ahead of schedule, the Sea Bee's as a unit were called to the beach for "liberty" and recognized by General Douglas MacArthur and the South Korean President.

On March 18 ^th , 1955 Richard was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy. Although recommended for re-enlistment and for the Good Conduct Medal, he returned to Minot where he continued his employment with Bee Line Service until 1961. Then, Richard began his career at Northern States Power Telephone (NSP) as an installer and telephone linesman. Being immensely proud of his employment at NSP along with being equipped with the experience and knowledge of his past, Richard was prepared to handle the largest of challenges. NSP fell victim to the flood of 1969 in Minot where the entire facility was compromised. Crews at NSP worked around the clock to provide and maintain telephone service and communication for the City of Minot. These crews also assisted in housing displaced families, sand bagging for hours on end, and storing personal belongings of others. These long hours working tirelessly would ultimately result in Richard catching a nap atop a telephone pole due to his lack of sleep.

Throughout his 30-year career, Richard was able to smoothly navigate through many challenging times but also enjoy prosperous times. Retiring in 1991 after 30-years of service, his career with NSP perfectly depicted his character. He was a man of integrity, loyalty, hard work, reliability, grit, and compassion. His many selfless acts for his family and community are endless. His love for his family, along with his charm and wit were among his best attributes.

During retirement, Richard and Elaine enjoyed summers at Lake Metigoshe, ND entertaining family and friends. Richard was able to fulfil his passion for fishing as well as hunting with his sons Tim and Craig and grandsons Colby and Jersey. Over the years he was able to sneak away on fishing trips to Canada and various lakes in North Dakota with numerous friends. He also fished Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories with Native American Guide Services.

In his early childhood years, Richard would spend summers with his father Lyle at Lake Metigoshe. During the 1930s, Lake Metigoshe was primarily dry and so Richard would often tell stories about walking over to Dawson Island or harvesting hay from the dry lake bottom. His knowledge of the landscape prior to Lake Metigoshe filling with water allowed him to navigate to key areas where fish would migrate. With this inside knowledge, Richard always had fun with other fisherman who would ask him where he caught his fish, and he would simply reply: "In the lip!"

In addition to his fishing and hunting hobbies, Richard had a deep passion for cars and their structural nature. Mechanically his talents were endless, but his focus was on frame straightening and front-end alignment. He was able to bring this passion to life through his connections with Bee Line Service and operated out of his own garage. In the late 1950s, Reid Gordan asked Richard to be a part of the pit crew team of the #12 sprint car and Richard happily accepted. While offering his services to Reid, Richard ultimately designed a front-end alignment that led the #12 car and team to the Championship in 1959! Due to these successes, Richard was inducted into the Nodak Speedway Hall of Fame in 2019 as a pioneer for engineering the front-end alignment that he designed and built from scratch.

Being active in all of his hobbies, Richard still set aside time to be an active member of First Lutheran Church, Moose Lodge, American Legion Post, IBEW Local 714, and the Nodak Speedway Race Club.

Richard is survived by children: Calleyne Benson (Gordon Ferguson) of Nocona, TX, Tim (Julie) Benson and Craig (Brenda) Benson, all of Minot, and Jodi (Rodney) Anderson of Glenburn; grandchildren: Tamara St. Clair, Breanna (Brock) Keller, Natosha (Chad) Gartner, Charlsie (Brad) Burud, Jersey (Kayla) Benson, Codi (Chris) Ehlers, and Colby (April) Anderson; great grandchildren: Aiden and Annika St. Clair, Carsen, Amiya, and Chase Gartner, Jagger Swartwout, Kenadee and Laikyn Burud, Jaren and Baby girl Benson, Hayes and Hudson Ehlers, Jace, Wyatt, and Baby boy Anderson, and Baby boy Keller.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents, wife: Elaine, brother: Carroll Benson and mother-in-law: Dorothy Olson.

Celebration of the Life of Richard Benson: 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at First Lutheran Church, Minot. To view a livestream of the service access https://flcminot.com/view-worship/
Interment: Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot
Visitation: Monday, April 5, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Memorials are preferred to Caring Edge Hospice, Edgewood Vista, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) or the donor's choice.