ADOLPH ARTHUR "ART" BENSON

July 28, 1939 -
May 24, 2020

Beloved husband, father, older brother, and uncle.

Survived by his wife Lila and son Wes, and by his brother Sid (Ellen), and sisters Patti Screws (Tony), Nancy Crook (Frank), and Nanette Thomas (Tom), and many wonderful nieces and nephews.

Art was born in Edison, WA, and grew up on a dairy farm on Sunset Road to Kermit and Bernice Benson (Boe). Besides milking cows and harvesting peas, Art learned early to love skiing, fishing and golf.

He attended Edison Elementary, and Burlington-Edison High School. After a short time at Pacific Lutheran University, and then a break to make sure he did not want to milk cows for the rest of his life, Art earned a degree in Math from Western Washington University, and later an MBA from Seattle University.

He worked at Unigard for over twenty years, with a focus on early IT work. Later, he moved to Boeing, working as a systems analyst until he retired.

Art met his future wife, Lila M. Benson (Hendry), at Unigard. They were married at the Edison Lutheran Church on August 27, 1966. Their son, Arthur Wesley ("Wes") Benson, was born on June 23, 1968.

In the late 70s, Art discovered a lifelong passion for fine wines after tasting a classic Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon. That initial discovery led to a fascination for new wines that never left him. For Art, sharing wine was one of the great passions of his life. It was one of the ways he felt most comfortable expressing his deep regard and love for others.

Art loved being convivial, but he never liked making the first move. That said, once you got him on the phone, or to the party, he smiled the biggest and laughed the loudest of anybody. His guffaw is legendary.

"To wound the heart is to create it," Antonio Porchia once wrote. Right now, those of us who loved Art are grateful there is only so much of loss and grief our hearts can feel at once. We miss him terribly.

There will be a private memorial gathering later in the year.

For more information and to read more memories, please visit the Lewis Funeral Chapel website at www.lewischapel.com.