Steven G. Benesh

1941 - 2016

Steven G. Benesh 1941—2016
Steven G. Benesh, 74, of Oregon, moved on to the next project May 3, 2016. As a young boy, Steve attended Catholic School in Oregon. He spent his summers farming and milking cows with his two bachelor uncles, Harm and Hank. They may account for his "rough around the edges" persona. Steve graduated from Oregon High School in 1959, moved out to the farm and married Sue Gilbert. Steve then went to work for Oregon Construction; picking up sticks was his first duty. Throughout his 30's and 40's, he was known to: go into business alone, serve a term as Rockvale Township Road Commissioner, continue farming, and become partners with Leonard Bruns at Benesh & Bruns. In 1980, Steve, along with the help of his sons, started Steve Benesh & Sons. During his time as partner, his work portfolio included jobs as small as sidewalks and as big as the Byron Exelon Station. He was a union member for over 30 years. In the age of modern technology, Steve chose to carry all his records on 3x5 note cards tucked into his shirt pocket. He always knew it was in one pocket or another. His handshake meant a "sealed deal" and his word was GOLD. Steve enjoyed traveling to South Dakota and Minnesota to purchase cattle for the following calving season. His favorite pastime of all was going to auctions. He would load up the Kubota, pick up his best auction buddy, Denny Hardesty, and off they would go, many times returning with a tractor or two, a variety of antiques, and "barn art". In his own way, Steve was a "historian" collecting history books and stories his whole life. On winter evenings you could find him framing pictures of antique tractors, feed sacks, John Deere memorabilia, and old cars and trucks. He was trying to preserve history in his own way. Steve will be remembered best for his lengthy stories. If you asked him a question, you would need to be prepared for a long, slow answer but always learning something from each and every story. Steve is survived by his "sweetheart" of 26 years, Arnita (Arnee) Somerville; three sons, Tim (Lori) Benesh, Tony (Carla) Benesh, Todd (Kathy) Benesh, all of Oregon; six grandchildren, Jeremy (Destini), Jason (Monica), Joey, Danielle, Michael (Brooke), and Blake; four great-grandchildren, Nelson, Jack, Carson, and Myra; and one sister, Marsha Hepfer. He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Grace and his daughter, Teri. He will be forever missed by his family, his "sweetheart", and their dog, Spike.
A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Farrell-Holland-Gale Funeral Home, 110 S. 7th St., Oregon. The Funeral Service will be 11:30 a.m. Monday, May 9, at Barnacopia, 2570 NW Branch Rd., Polo, IL (luncheon to immediately follow). A memorial fund has been established for the Oregon FFA. www.farrellhollandgale.com