David W. Benson, 84
After a year-long battle with esophageal cancer, David W. Benson, 84, passed away on Dec. 31, 2004, at his winter home in Quartzite, Ariz. Dave was born in Juneau, Alaska, on Sept. 12, 1920, where he spent his first six years before moving with his family to Port Angeles, Wash. He was raised in Washington state for the next 10 years before striking out on his own as a musician and singer.
His professional musical career ended in Kalispell in 1938. Without a job and broke, he landed a job as a chore boy at the M-Lazy-B ranch in Marian. He spent the next nine years as a cowboy. Some of his favorite stories were about his times as a real life cowboy: chasing wild horses, herding cattle in the Big Draw, and managing an all-girl dude ranch during the summer months.
While at the ranch he met and married Mary Lou Billmayer of Kalispell in 1946, hand-built a log house and had his first son. After spending 1948 in Kerrville, Texas, he and his family moved to eastern Montana where he started a new career in construction working for Morris Construction in Chinook. After several years, he went to work for Zook Bros. Construction in Great Falls where he was a superintendent and built roads all over the state of Montana.
After his retirement at age 62, he opened Dave's Welding at his permanent residence in Bigfork, which he operated until his final retirement in 1994.
Dave and Mary Lou moved to Sunburst. They spent their summers in Montana and winters in Quartzite, Ariz., where Dave searched for gold and rode four-wheelers (his modern replacement for a horse) in the desert mountains with a great circle of friends.
Dave is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary Lou; sons, John Benson and Debbie of Houston, Dave Benson and Jane of Franktown, Colo., Gary Benson and Kathrin of Houston, and L.G. Benson and Yanira of Houston; daughter, Wanda Stanford, of Coutts, Alberta; sister, Hazel Baker and George of Hamilton, Ohio; 16 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren; and relations and friends across the country.
Dave was predeceased by his grandson, David Benson, of Bigfork. Special thanks to the Hospice of Havasu for all their care and support.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hospice of Havasu Inc., 365 S. Lake Havasu Ave., P.O. Box 597, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405.
A memorial will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Marias River Electric Conference Center, 910 Roosevelt Hwy 2, in Shelby. For questions, contact Wanda Stanford at 406-335-2891.