Robert "Bob" Lester Benson

Bob will be deeply missed by his wife, Mayonne, of 66 years and surviving family – Children Christopher (Cyndy) Benson, Stephanie (Greg) Hinrichs, Jennifer (George) Achterling and Robert (Katie) Benson Jr., 6 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, brother, Kenneth (Vivian) and many nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by his parents Roy and Ruby Benson, stepmother Lila, sister Donna Mae McNair, brothers Milner and Harold, sisters-in-law Eleanor and Shirley, stepbrother Jim Vedder and stepsister Marge Johnson.

Bob was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and attended schools in Hudson WI, Rosemount MN, and attended high school in his beloved Stillwater, MN.

He joined the US Navy in 1945 and served in the Pacific, on the destroyer USS Ozbourn (DD-846) as a signalman quartermaster for four years. He traveled all over the Pacific with ports of call in China and Japan as well as other Pacific islands, including nine months in Pearl Harbor before being honorably discharged in 1949. In 1948, during his travels in the Pacific, his ship was involved in a collision with the Theodore E. Chandler (DD-717) during maneuvers due to an error made by the USS Ozbourn. The two ships collided and the whole bow section had been torn off the USS Ozbourn. The ship survived the crash and Bob was involved in the search and rescue efforts for missing men. One man was found but two men perished in the incident and the ship had to be towed back to port for repairs. Bob always wondered who those two men were.

Shortly thereafter, he was hired by Northwest Airlines (NWA) as a mechanic, and he received his Aircraft and Powerplant (A&P) license. He worked at the Airlines for 41 years in various areas before retiring in 1991. He loved working at Northwest and was proud of his work there. He enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship with his NWA coworkers, and giving them a lot of “heat”. The more “heat” he gave his coworker meant the more he liked him. He especially loved the 747 which he frequently worked on and considered “his” airplane. He was proud of the fact that he was checked out to “run up” his beloved 747, which involved driving the plane through preflight procedures up to the point of taking off. He was also proud of the many trips for which he was chosen for, to trouble shoot and repair planes out of state.

He was united in marriage to Mayonne at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Paul in 1959 and our Lord blessed with them with the gift of four children, Christopher, Stephanie, Jennifer and Robert Jr. The couple lived in an apartment in St. Paul before moving their family to their home in Oakdale where they resided for 43 years prior moving to Woodbury.

He loved all kinds of music, especially Frank Sinatra. He also loved dancing, especially with his favorite dance partner, Mayonne, to their favorite dancing song, Harlem Nocturne. He had no formal training, but was musically inclined. He played the baritone ukulele and composed a piece for the piano which he loved to play for family.

After retiring from the airlines in 1991, he spent his time enjoying his family and many activities. He learned how to cook after he retired so he could have dinner started prior to Mayonne getting home from work. He was an avid golfer and loved to brag about the 79 round that he played at Keller Golf Course. He and Mayonne golfed regularly at New Richmond Golf Course where they were members. He took annual trips to Arizona or Florida with his NWA buddies and liked to golf with Mayonne and their special friend “Lopez”. Other favorite retirement pastimes were going to movies, doing crossword puzzles, enjoying ice cream at Bridgeman’s, napping and goofing off while Mayonne was still at work.

Later in life he liked to reminisce about events in his life. One such event was during a childhood baseball game when the opposing coach waved his players to move far back in the outfield when Bob came up to bat. Bob also loved to tell stories about his accomplishments at the airlines and the shenanigans, teasing and bantering with his coworkers. He loved to tell these stories and would frequently share them, so much so, that they became well known to his family and they were able to recite them word for word.

He liked traveling and cruising and took two cruises to the Caribbean, where during one of them, he and Mayonne celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. He also traveled to California to visit his brother, and took trips to Hawaii, Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Florida and took many trips to Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota for summer vacation.

He was an avid sports fan and loved watching golf, the Twins, Gopher football and especially the Vikings. Although, he frequently commented about how Minnesota sports teams would let him down. He was excited for the Vikings season to start so his son, Bob, configured his room so he was able to watch some of the Vikings 2025 preseason opener.

He loved his family both immediate and extended. He was a loving father and devoted husband for 66 years. He was also very close to his brothers and had a deep love for them and enjoyed getting together with extended family for picnics and other events.

He loved the Lord and worshiping our Savior. Attending church on Sunday was a given and he would ensure that the whole family attended church with him, wearing their Sunday best.

He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Special thanks to Bob's caregivers Hospice of the Midwest, Allina Home Health, and Allina Health - Valley Creek for their compassion and caring for Bob over the past two years.  Also, many thanks to our friends, neighbors and loved ones for their love, support and compassion.

Memorials may be directed to St. Jude Children’s Research or Woodbury Lutheran Church.

Celebration of Life will be held Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM with Visitation one hour prior to service, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM at Woodbury Lutheran Church, 7380 Afton Rd., Woodbury, MN 55125.

If you wish to view the service via livestream, please go to funeral.wlc.church.