Michael James Benton

Michael James Benton quietly passed away on May 20, 2026 with mom and dad by his side at the age of 26 in Jacksonville, Florida. Michael was known as a Valentine Baby born on February 14, 2000, in Tampa, Florida; a birthdate he shared with his grandmother – Jane Edwards or as he called her “Gran Gran”. In 2001, the family moved to Jacksonville, Florida where Michael lived until his passing.

As Michael grew up, he played and participated in a variety of activities. He enjoyed youth soccer especially because of the coaches, parents, and great teammates he had. He also played Flag Football and Upward Basketball where he was blessed to be a part of a great community of coaches and players. In addition, Michael loved playing golf, helping Mr. Tony with golf camps, wakeboarding, surfing camp, and going to the beach with friends where he could try to skim board. A clear favorite of Michael’s was to pester the family to take the boat to Black Creek, where he could have fun on the infamous “Tree-Swing” there.

Michael grew up going to Mandarin Presbyterian Church’s Preschool where he and his parents made life-long friends. Each year Michael was especially excited to attend Mandarin Presbyterian Church’s Family Camp at Camp Montgomery. He loved to go to the lake, jump on the “blob”, and make family plates while trying to eat just one more smore. Golf played a big part in Michael’s life as he loved to play and to be around the golf course. He was known to like to eat quesadillas with “boom boom” sauce at the Julington Creek Golf Course, sitting at the bar, and saying hello to whoever he saw.

Michael graduated from Christ Church Academy and then decided to attend Montana State University after high school. While there, he gained a greater appreciation for the mountain west where he identified favorite spots like Hyalite Canyon and climbing the “M” in Bozeman. After one year, Michael returned home to warmer weather and as he says, “weather more conducive to golf”, where he continued his studies at St. Johns River College and then ultimately graduating from Flagler College as an English Major. During his time at Flagler, he met some of his best friends and began an interest in poetry as he served on a school publication of poetry writings / submissions called “FLARE” during his Senior Year.

From High School through college, Michael worked part time at Edwin Watts golf store on Shad Road where he learned a great deal about the game he loved and was surrounded by wonderful people that he worked with. The folks at Edwin Watts loved him, mentored him, counseled him, supported him and looked after him as he completed his college work. Michael was most recently re-enrolling in graduate school for English and completing an LSAT prep course as he was trying to determine if law school was something in his future.

Michael was a generous, kind-hearted young man who enjoyed family and the strong friendships that he had established. Michael loved his Jacksonville Jaguars so much that he got the Jags logo as a tattoo on his thigh … much to the chagrin of Mom and Dad. The rotation of “favorite players” was confusing, but his most favorite player was always Fred Taylor who he got to meet and get a picture with. Michael was lucky enough to attend some of the most prestigious golf tournaments as he had checked the box on the US OPEN, the PGA Championship, The MASTERS, THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, and there were even discussions to try and get to the British Open.

Michael was a blessing to his mom and dad and will be missed tremendously. He would be grateful and humbled at the outpouring of support his family has received when hearing of his passing.

Michael is survived by his mother (Kathleen Edwards Benton) and his father (Bryan James Benton) and his beloved mini-Australian Shepherd (Kaymin) – affectionately named after Michael and Kathleen.

Memorial Service

A Memorial service will be held at Mandarin Presbyterian Church on Friday June 12 at 1:00PM in the church sanctuary. Michael loved golf shirts, so please dress comfortably. Immediately following the service, the family will be available for visitation in the Fellowship Hall. Please note the following church addresses as MPC has two church campuses but they are within walking distance:

MPC Church Campus (Sanctuary) 2501 Loretto Road Jacksonville, FL 32223

MPC Office Campus (Fellowship Hall) 11844 Mandarin Road Jacksonville, FL 32223

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that if you wish to make a donation in memoriam of Michael, please consider making a small donation to either organization listed below:

Epilepsy Alliance Florida — Empowering Lives, Creating Change

Planting Trees in Florida - The Trees Remember