BINGHAM - Richard Charles Benson, 74, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007 at Redington- Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan. Your accomplishments have been great and many. You were born in Lewiston on November 1, 1932, son of Charles and Barbara Thompson Benson. Graduating from Winthrop High, you attended Kents Hill and then spent four years in the United States Navy as a weatherman on the USS Oriskany CV 34. After the military you went on to graduate from the University of Maine at Orono with a Bachelor of Science in Education. You made such an impression on the young people you touched with your generosity and unselfishness that they had a ?plaid? school day named after you. You had a positive impact on so many lives from Fort Kent to Berwick, Maine and many other school districts in between. You settled to raise your family in the community of Bingham, Maine where you coached skiing, Jr. High basketball and even started the first girls soccer team at Valley High School. The Benson ?death grip? was awaited by all Valley High students Our beloved father, great husband, true friend, you have impacted our lives with your love of family, your gift of knowledge, sense of humor, and genuine kindness to all that surrounded you. You will be unforgettable. You will continue to live forever in our heart and souls, giving remembrance and happy memories of the special man you truly were and still are to us. You were always eternally grateful to Lucille and Carlton Roberts who introduced you to your passion for nature and the serenity of the woods. Because of them you were a fine hunter and fisherman who enjoyed nature and all that were in it. You are survived by your bride of 48 years Judith Benson, your siblings James Benson and wife Marge of Augusta, Maine; and Sara Slauenwhite of Monmonth, Maine. Your pride and greatest possession were your children; Todd, his children Trevor, Grant and Gus, and his fianc? Terri with her children; Bryan, Abbi, Curtis and Molly and together their son, Kody. Your son Glenn, his wife Susan, her children Spencer and Stetson and together their children, Delaney and Cameron of Dover Foxcroft, followed by your precious daughter Lauren and husband Jason and their daughter Emily; (your little ?Emmy-Jack?), of St. Albans. You will be truly missed and loved ever after. ?Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost one pours through and shines down upon us, to let us know they are happy? A celebration of Dick?s life will be held graveside at 2:00pm on Wednesday, Sept. 19th at the NEW Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Mount Vernon Road in Augusta. Military honors will be provided by Brunswick Naval Air Station and the Kennebec County Veterans Honor Guard. Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to: Bingham Area Leadership Fund, In loving Memory of Dick Benson, c/o Rochelle Dumont, Bingham Area Health Center, Po Box 746, Bingham, ME 04920. Arrangements are in the care of Roberts Funeral Home, 62 Bowdoin St., Winthrop.