Michael Alan Benishek

Michael “Mike” Alan Benishek, 72 of Ellenton, FL, passed away June 1, 2026 after a brief cancer battle. He is survived by his two sons, Cameron H. Benishek of Palmetto, FL and Alexander M. Benishek of Mattoon, IL, his sister, Lori G. Roberts of Bradenton, FL, the mother of his children, Linda J. Pappalardo of Palmetto, FL, and many good friends at Woody’s River Roo where he was well known as Tomato Mike.

Mike was born on November 16, 1953 to Albert Benishek and Betty (Brunner) Benishek. He was raised in Manitowoc, WI. He was curious from a young age, and he loved to tinker with things in an effort to understand them. With support from his father, he eventually developed a love of building and racing soap box derby cars. He won multiple competitions as a young man. His most notable win was the 1969 Sheboygan, WI championship race, where at age 15, Mike beat 78 other racers by using a coil-type suspension of his own design on both axles, and was awarded Best-Innovation in the technical category along with his competitive win.

He later became a self-described “ski bum” during his college years and became known as “Hotdog” by fellow skiers out in Utah, for doing what is known as a wheelie. He was president of the UW Oshkosh Ski Club during college at Wisconsin State University Oshkosh, and he skied locations in Europe including Austria and Germany, and later shared his passion with his sons during vacations in Utah.

He faithfully rooted for the Green Bay Packers with his sister Lori. They were immensely passionate about their cheese-head heritage. He was thankful when his son, Alex, did not turncoat when he moved to Illinois, and remained faithful to the cause.

In the 80s, Mike relocated to Florida and married. Mike was a proud and devoted family man, who succeeded in his goal of raising and providing for a family. His sons are incredibly proud to have had him as their father. They will never forget him.

After settling down, Mike became a longstanding fixture of the Florida Risk Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and Tampa RIMS. While he branded himself as a “Poor Dumb Tomato Farmer”, or “PDTF” for short, Mike was a foremost expert of Risk Management, especially when it came to tomatoes. He appeared regularly in multiple leading industry publications such as Risk & Insurance and Business Insurance.

For a risk manager, Mike enjoyed taking risks. He was a sailor, a parasailer, and an autocross racer. He passed down his love of cars to his youngest son, Cam.

Mike had a uniquely dry sense of humor and a passion for animals and listening to good rock music that was “not old fuddy duddy stuff.” His guitar collection was ever growing. His favorite guitar of the moment always greeted you the moment you walked into his home; it changed frequently. His favorite musicians included Tommy Tutone, Neil Young, Don Henley, Bloodrock, The Beatles, Gin Blossoms, Blue Oyster Cult, Dire Straits, Meat Loaf, etc.

An initial service will be held at Groover Funeral Home at Mansion Memorial Park, 1400 36th Ave East Ellenton, FL 34222 on Saturday, June 6th at 11am to 1pm. After the service, a celebration of life will be held at Mike’s favorite bar, Woody’s River Roo, at 5717 18th St E, Ellenton, FL 34222 at 4pm.

Well wishes to his family may be sent to 5527 Tripoli Dr, Palmetto, FL, 34221 and in lieu of flowers, Mike asked for donations to be made to the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Mars Shot Grant.

A good father’s greatest achievement is not what he accomplished for himself, but the character he built in his children.