Max Robert Benson

Max Robert Benson, age 91, a lifelong resident of the Clark, SD community, died suddenly at his apartment in Clark on Sunday evening, August 31, 2008. Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 5th, at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clark. The Rev. Robin Schaunaman will officiate and burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. The organist will be Dorothy Fuller. Roger Nordhus will sing "How Great Thou Art" and 'On Eagle's Wings". The congregation will sing "Borning Cry" and "Amazing Grace". The honorary casketbearers will be his granddaughters, Erica Owens, Kristina Antonen, Angela Benson, Betsy Benson, Megan Benson, Lindsey Richards, Rebecca Kates, Jill Hamburg and Katie Ford as well as members of the Clark Rotary Club. The active casketbearers will be grandsons, Scott Benson, Jeff Benson, Matt Benson, Michael Benson, Carey Zylstra, Jason Benson and Casey Benson. Visitation will be held on Thursday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and prior to the service at the church on Friday. Max Robert Benson was born and raised in Clark County, South Dakota. He was the son of Bernhard and Laura (Bailey) Benson, a graduate of Vermillion High School and attended the University of South Dakota. As a young man he worked for Gambles in O'Neil, Nebraska and Marshall, Minnesota. He married Genevieve Geise on July 21, 1940. Max and Gen returned to Clark in 1942 to farm. They had three sons and two daughters. Max enjoyed farming and the people of Clark. He was active in his community as president of the South Dakota Hereford Association, president of the Clark Rotary, president of the Clark Golf Club, a board member of Saint Paul's Lutheran Church and a frequent recipient on conservation and livestock awards. His interests included baseball, hunting, golf and the history of Clark County. A descendant of the original pioneers of Clark County, he heard the stories as a young boy of the original settlers. He could drive the roads around Clark and recite the histories of the old farms, the people who farmed the land and the events in their lives. Max Benson loved his family and the occasions when the generations would gather in Clark for celebrations and the annual family pheasant hunt. He is survived by his loving wife Genevieve "Gen" Benson of Clark; his sons, Gail (Connie) Benson of Sioux Falls, Jim (Kathy) Benson of Spearfish Canyon and Bob (Marlys) Benson of Clark; daughter Jean (Fred) Ford of Austin, TX; 16 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. Max was preceded in death by his daughter, Carole; his parents; his brother, James; and sisters, Kathryn, Joyce and Margaret. Memorials may be directed to the Clark Area Community Foundation or the St. Paul Lutheran Church of Clark.