Michael Leonard Benson

Mike Benson culminated a life-long journey by meeting Jesus face to face on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, just before noon in Seattle, WA. The beloved husband, father, father-in-law, Papa, son, brother, tennis coach, mentor, and friend to so many died at the age of 68 after battling recurrent melanoma and a lingering heart condition. Mike was born March 12, 1947, in Miles City, MT, to Leonard and Ruth Benson. With his parents, and in time three younger brothers, he lived in La Grande, OR, Yakima, and Spokane while growing up. In 1965 he graduated from Shadle Park High School in Spokane. He enrolled at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, WA, that fall, and joined the tennis team. In 1967 he won the district doubles championship. He spent his junior year studying in Paris, at Sorbonne Université. He returned to PLU for his senior year, and in 1969 a chance blind date resulted in him meeting the love of his life, a cute red-headed sophomore on campus named Mary Magnuson. He graduated summa cum laude from PLU in 1969 with a major in Education and a French emphasis. His first job was teaching French in the Puyallup school district. He and Mary were married on July 18, 1970, in Portland. Mike took over the PLU men’s tennis team for the 1969-70 season, his first year out of college, and began a storied 30-year career that also included six years of double duty as the women’s coach in two separate stints, 1981-84 and 1998-99. His coaching duties led him to be hired full time by PLU in various roles, eventually becoming Facilities Coordinator of Olson Auditorium. As the men’s tennis coach, he compiled a 400-196 all-time record, including winning at least a share of 24 Northwest Conference championships and appearing in 20 NAIA National Tournaments. He added 90 more coaching wins with the PLU women’s team. In 1999 he was inducted into the PLU Athletic Hall of Fame. From 2008 to 2009, and again in 2011, he briefly came out of retirement for three seasons to lead the California Lutheran University women’s team in Thousand Oaks, CA, to 28 victories, bringing his career record 518-262. The impressive win total on the court, however, paled in comparison to the influence and success he enjoyed off the court. His positive, encouraging coaching philosophy was more interested in the athlete’s character, heart, and attitude. The on court success just naturally fell out of his philosophy. Countless former players learned far more about living a faithful, gracious life while becoming good tennis players along the way. Relationships and bonds with his players were formed over long road trips, including many to the national tournament in Kansas City, in the team van and spending nights on the floor of local churches in cities where the team played away matches. His outlook on life was best described by the famous phrase he coined, “It’s a GREAT day to be a Lute.” Mike was a Godly, loving father raising two daughters who, as beautiful as they are on the outside, are even more beautiful on the inside. This was a direct reflection of Mike (and Mary’s) teaching their daughters about God’s love through His son, Jesus, and letting that love shine for the benefit of others. Mike’s coaching duties took him away on road trips with his teams during the season, but that did not stop him from being very intentional about setting aside family time with Mary and his girls. Sundays were for attending church and engaging in family focused activities. The family enjoyed many wonderful memories together, highlighted by a road trip throughout the entire country during the summer of 1990 in the family van that didn’t always start. Upon retiring from coaching at PLU in 1999, Mike and Mary moved to Thousand Oaks, where Mike briefly was an assistant coach for the CLU women’s team, including his daughter Kaarin’s senior season in 2000. In 2009, they returned to Washington and lived in Kent; followed by brief stints in Poulsbo, WA; back to Thousand Oaks; Lewiston, ID; and finally Woodinville, WA. Each of these moves after retirement in some way involved being near his daughters, grandchildren, or mother, lending further evidence to the family man Mike was. Mike is survived by his lovely wife of 45 years, Mary (Woodinville, WA); two daughters and two sons-in-law, Kristi and Daemon Repp (Poulsbo, WA) and Kaarin and Marc Garcia (Woodinville, WA); his mother, Ruth Benson (Clarkston, WA); three younger brothers, Eric Benson (Seattle), Karl Benson (New Orleans), and Mark Benson (Colbert, WA); and five young grandchildren, Cameron and Mason Repp, and Natasha, Gabriel, and Dominic Garcia. He was preceded in death by his father, Leonard Benson, in 1998. Mike’s Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, November 28, 1:00 PM at Rainier View Christian Church, 12305 Spanaway Loop Rd. S, Tacoma, WA. The family strongly encourages its friends and loved ones to attend in comfortable, athletic, sports, team oriented clothes, particularly with a tennis or baseball theme. The family suggests three possible memorials. 1) Mike and Mary Benson Men’s Tennis Endowment c/o Pacific Lutheran University Office of Advancement 12180 Park Ave. S Tacoma, WA 98447 2) Buyamba, Inc. 3625 East Thousand Oaks Blvd, #265 Westlake Village, CA 91362 www.ugandabuyamba.com 3) Samaritan’s Purse PO Box 3000 Boone, NC 28607-3000 www.samaritanspurse.org