Mark Benton

1970 - 2012

Mark Anthony Benton, son of Clyde and Marty Benton, passed away in Amarillo on Friday, Nov. 23, 2012, from complications of heart failure. Service: 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at Arborlawn United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road, Fort Worth, with Pastor Ben Disney officiating. Interment: Laurel Land Memorial Park, 7100 Crowley Road, Fort Worth. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Arborlawn United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76109, or Medical Center League House, 7000 Amarillo Blvd. West, Amarillo, Texas 79106, which provides lodging to immediate family members of hospitalized patients who reside outside the Amarillo city limits. Mark was born Jan. 8, 1970, in Oklahoma City, Okla., but grew up in Fort Worth and was a 1988 graduate of Southwest High School. Mark was currently a student at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, majoring in mass communication. During his years there, Mark left school several times to take positions with local Amarillo media including KQIZ FM, in production and was an on-air personality; KVIL Pro News 7 TV; KAMR-Channel 4 TB; and in Dallas, Sports Radio 1310, The Ticket, a 24-hour sports talk program as producer of a four-hour daily sports talk program. From 1990 to 2009, Mark was program director of the West Texas A&M college radio station KWTS-FM, reporting to trade magazines, programming music and was responsible for all on-air talent. In 1989, KWTS recognized Mark as Rookie of the Year, Disc Jockey of the year and in 1991 he was recognized and inducted into the United States Achievement Academy for Excellence in College Radio Broadcasting. In 1993 he was awarded an Outstanding Special Service Award by KWTS at WT. Mark was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega national fraternity and in 1991 was elected Inter-Fraternal Council president at West Texas A&M. In 2008, inspired by watching "The Today Show," on which a young boy raising funds for a charitable organization was being interviewed, Mark decided he needed to do something too and researched local organizations in Amarillo, discovering Faith City Ministries who provides outreach for people in need of shelter, food and recovery, leading him to organize Rock City Rescue, a benefit concert raising money for the homeless. Mark led this project for three years donating all monies to Faith City Ministries. In spring of 2012 he directed the first Empty Bowls project in Amarillo, a hunger relief organization in the United States and several countries. Survivors: His parents, Clyde and Marty; his brother, Chris and wife, Lea Ann; his beloved nephew and niece, Davis and Skylar Benton; several aunts and uncles and cousins in Texas, Virginia and North Carolina; his special friend, Amy Bender; and many, many special friends from all walks of life.