Robert Henry Benson

Robert Henry “Bob” Benson, 95, passed away Monday, April 27, 2020 in Loveland, CO. Born in Glasco, KS, he was the son of the late Ross and Elsie Benson. Bob graduated from Great Bend (KS) High School in 1942. He moved with his parents to Boulder that same year, where he attended the University of Colorado. In June 1943, Bob entered the Army and proudly served with the 43rd Division in the South Pacific during WWII until his discharge in 1946.

In 1947, Bob met Beth Eakin in Boulder and they were married in April 1948. They started a family and had three of their four children by the time they moved to Greeley in 1958. After residing in Greeley for almost 60 years, Bob and Beth moved to Loveland to be closer to their children. They had been married for 69 years at the time of Beth’s passing in 2017. They are survived by daughter Cyndi (Chris Conklin) Benson of Longmont, son Rob (Linda) Benson of Loveland, daughter Marsha (Cliff) Polacek of Winter Haven, FL and son Chris Benson of Broomfield, granddaughter Erin (Travis) Moratto, grandsons Sean and Skylar Benson, great grandchildren Adrian, Michael and Anna Moratto and many nieces and nephews. Bob was preceded in death by his three sisters, two brothers and infant grandson Nathan Benson.

Bob’s long career revolved around home building and design. He worked with his father in home construction in Boulder until 1958. Upon moving to Greeley, he was a home designer at King Lumber Co. Beginning in 1969, he worked for the Weld County Lumber Co. in LaSalle as a building supervisor and later with Master Builders of Weld County, in which he was a part owner. In 1985 he retired from construction, but stayed active drafting and designing homes well into his 95th year.

Faith was important to Bob and he was a member of St. John Catholic Church. He loved his family, his country and his friends. He was proud of his military service and was honored with other WWII veterans on the first Honor Flight from this area to visit the monuments and memorials in Washington, DC. Bob was a life member of Greeley Elks Lodge 809. One of his favorite pastimes was fishing in the mountains and enjoying nature. He was an avid CU football fan and he and Beth were season ticketholders for many years.

Bob and Beth took many trips to visit family within the US and Costa Rica, as well as vacationing in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. They especially loved spending time with their grandchildren. Bob enjoyed hearing Beth play the piano and frequently listened to a recording of a concerto she had performed at the age of 80. He was devoted to her and missed her very much.

Bob’s strong will allowed him to live independently in his golden years. Daily conversations with him often included upcoming holidays, sports, politics and food. He enjoyed sharing meals with family and friends. His family would like to extend a special thank you to everyone he knew at Affinity of Loveland for their care, concern and invaluable friendships these past few years.

A memorial mass for Bob will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or any other worthy cause of one’s choice.