Will Benson

Celebrating Life

Will Andrew Benson, 50 Died May 7th, 2024. Will was born to Kasey Benson and Patricia Nash on April 22 1974 in Bremerton Washington. Will and his family including his brother Clint moved to Baker City in 1979 and in 1982 Will gained another brother Luke. Because of a genetic disorder, Will spent lots of time at the Shriner’s Hospital in Portland, having multiple surgeries. This led Will to later become a Shriner as well as being apart of the Blue Mountain Masonic Lodge. Will graduated from Baker High School in 1992 where he was active in student council, helping with pep night backdrops, and was also a team manager for the football team. Driving around dirt roads, shooting ground squirrels, and general shenanigans with his buddies Nathan Murphy, Josh Drummond, and Amanda Gast. After graduation, Will headed to Washington State University where he graduated with a bachelor of arts in criminal justice and sociology. Throughout college, he would spend his summers driving across the country traveling to Connecticut to work at Boy Scout camp Workcoman, as a shooting instructor. These memories were a point of pride for Will and that time of his life. After Will graduated from WSU in 1996 he had a short stint with Border Patrol before landing with Parole and Probation as his career in Umatilla County. While working in parole and probation, Will also spent time as an instructor at the police academy in Salem, Oregon. During his downtime at the academy, Will watched Super Troopers and was proud that he watched it soo many times he went through not one but two DVDs of the movie! Will married in 2000 and welcomed his first beautiful daughter Lauren in October 2001 and then a second beautiful daughter Abbey in July of 2004. Will and the girls moved back to Baker City in 2006. Will was the ultimate girl dad! He was their biggest fan, cheering them on in sports and chasing their dreams. Some of their favorite memories with their dad were trips to Big Creek to their favorite fishing hole, WSU football games where they would cheer so loud they would lose their voice, building legos, and watching WWE. Halloween was one of Will’s favorite times of year for not only getting to pass out candy to the kids but also for honing his Jedi Master skills! He enjoyed crafting things, and Halloween costumes were no exception. He once spent two months creating a Jedi Costume including building his own lightsaber from scratch. A kid at heart made him a favorite with the nieces and nephews. Will was a thoughtful Uncle gifting the kids handmade gifts, and other thoughtful and sentimental items. Will was well respected by many in his career and his community and touched many lives. His thoughtfulness, loyalty, goofy sense of humor and even him being stubborn as hell will be missed but definitely not forgotten. Will is survived by His mother Patricia Nash and Stepfather Bob Nash. His Daughters Lauren and Abbey Benson, His brothers Clint Benson and family, Luke Benson and family, Kirk Benson and family, Caleb Benson and family, and his Sister Sam Robinson and her family. Will was preceded in death by his Father Kasey Benson. A celebration of life will be planned for a future date. Obituary courtesy of Coles Tribute Center.

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