Richard Stanwood "Rick" Benner

1941 - 2024

Richard Stanwood Benner

July 22, 1941 - June 7, 2024

Richard "Rick" Stanwood Benner, 82, passed away on June 7, 2024 in Charlottesville, Virginia, his beloved home of over 44 years. Rick was an exceptional person, and his long life was a great story, full of humor, kindness, many interesting characters, diverse chapters and much love.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts on July 22, 1941, Rick was the son of Sarah Stone Benner and Allen Rogers Benner. He grew up in Massachusetts and Maine, developing an acute life-long devotion to the Red Sox as well as to competition and sports. He graduated high school from The Governor's Academy in Massachusetts where he was captain of the soccer, basketball, and baseball teams and went on to Amherst College where he was an All-New England soccer goalie and member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, making many life-long friends.

After graduation from college in 1964, Rick had a series of diverse jobs, including: teacher at Cardigan Mountain School in New Hampshire; sportswriter and columnist at Maryland News in Rockville; and community relations director at Union Hospital in Salem, Massachusetts. He also spent a memorable year in Europe with his first wife Pam teaching at the International Riviera School in Cannes, France. After these diverse professions, and with his love of people, Rick realized he could have the most impact as a career counselor. This became his life's work. He received a Masters' Degree in counseling from Salem College and went on to be the director of counseling and career planning at Hampden-Sydney College in Farmville, Virginia.

In 1980, Rick moved to Charlottesville to work as the coordinator of career planning for the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia (UVA)'s Office of Career Planning and Placement and also worked in career development, coaching, and organizational development at UVA's Darden Business School, McIntire School of Commerce, and Office of Organizational Development and taught career planning and life transition classes and workshops at Piedmont Virginia Community College, Martha Jefferson Hospital, and for UVA alumni. While at UVA, he completed a study of students' job trajectories which resulted in his book Life After Liberal Arts, which confirms the value of a liberal arts education for career development.

"Ricky B", "RB", "Ralph", "Bean" and "Roo" as he was affectionately called, loved words. He loved to speak them through stories, to hear them sung (especially by Emmy Lou Harris, Paul Simon and the Beatles) and to write them in many notebooks with many mechanical pencils and pens. He was fiercely funny and his family and friends often enjoyed long rambling but brilliant emails and voicemails covering his latest thoughts. He wrote a column during his time as a journalist called 'A Word to the Wise' which explored word origins and linguistics. For years, he exchanged cassette tape recordings with dear friends to stay in touch. During his last years, he was pursuing Oral Life Stories, to capture in words people's journeys through life, often beginning with the question he liked to ask everyone, including strangers: "What brings you joy?"

Ironically, Rick also loved silence. He read all the books of zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and was an avid meditator. As he struggled with health challenges, he used mindfulness for clarity and calmness and attended meditation retreats and classes throughout his adult life. He also encouraged many around him to practice mindfulness.

Most of all, Rick loved people. This was his joy. He loved his teammates, his fraternity brothers, his friends, and his family. He loved to connect, to make you laugh, and to beat you at games. He loved to enjoy food with people: hot dogs, ketchup, spaghetti, milkshakes, Reese's peanut butter cups, and he was not above squirting whipped cream directly from the can into his mouth. He was the proud father of three children: Holly, Tom, and Jack. Rick, also known as "Gampy" and "Dr Tickle", loved to play and was adored by his grandchildren Sage and Ansel. Throughout the years, he was a member of many groups to connect and enjoy people, including the 'Curse of the Bambino Society', the 'One Year to Live Group,' and 'Toastmasters.'

Rick would also want you to know that he was an ENFP in Myers-Briggs Personality Test, and would encourage you to take the test and to read the book, What Color is Your Parachute, so you could find your own joy and life's work.

He will be dearly missed and remembered by: his sister, Susan Benner Worthen of North Andover, Massachusetts; his daughter, Holly Welborn Benner, and her husband, Kevin Lewis Schwartz, of Amman, Jordan; his son, Thomas Bohr Benner, and his wife, Jing Tien, of Los Angeles, California; his son, Jack Allen Benner, of Ann Arbor, Michigan; his grandchildren, Sage Vivian Schwartz and Ansel Jackson Schwartz; his dear friend and mother of his sons, Ann Benner of Charlottesville; his extended family; and many great friends from throughout his life.

A memorial service to celebrate Rick's life will be held on August 3, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville at 717 Rugby Road. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Rivanna Trails Foundation (https://www.rivannatrails.org/) where Rick loved to walk or Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville (https://imeditation.org).