John Albert Benson Jr., 80, returned to the point of beginning, his heavenly home, Sunday, May 26, 2019. He was born Oct. 10, 1938, the son of Alma Rooks Benson and John Albert Benson Sr.
He attended New Hanover County Schools and Wilmington College. John Albert Benson Jr. traversed life with integrity, generosity, and a wry sense of humor. He spent his childhood in Myrtle Grove Sound, fishing and hunting.
He would forever be a waterman, hunter and nature lover. After school, John joined the U.S. Navy and served proudly as part of an elite Underwater Demolition Team (UDT), the precursor to today’s U.S. Navy Seals.
Upon completion of his military service, he began a 55-year career as a professional land surveyor. He designed and laid out numerous subdivisions in New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties. He was also licensed in the state of South Carolina. John’s work was beyond reproach, and he was highly regarded among his peers.
He is survived by his loving wife of 24 years, Barbara Crawford Benson; three children, John Alan Benson, Elizabeth Paige Brown (Sandy) and Belinda Benson Volikas; three grandsons, Alan, John Ryan and Joseph Benson; and beloved sister, Margaret Benson McDuffie (Alan), and their children, Kevin and Lindsey. John was also blessed with two “bonus” children, Kim Allard (David) and Buddy Allard (Laura); and six “bonus” grandchildren, David Allard (Nikki), Wade Allard (Ashton and Parker), Davis Allard, Travis Allard (Aly), Morgan Causey (Knovel and Asia) and Alexa Causey.
The family requests that remembrances are sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Cape Fear Hospice.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, May 30, at Wilmington Funeral & Cremation. The family wishes to thank everyone for their prayers and good thoughts during John’s illness.
