Edmund Benson

Edmund Kenneth Benson was born on the 30th of January 1924 in the infamous northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was to spend his entire life in this area. Ed was born into a family with ties to railroads, especially the Soo Line Railroad, which was located in his neighborhood.

Ed attended Edison High School and graduated in the class of 1942, playing high school hockey during his high school career. After high school he joined the U.S. Marines on June 1, 1943 and participated in the consolidation of the Northern Solomon Islands and the Philippine Operation. On the 21st of November 1945, he was honorably discharged from the Marines and returned to Minneapolis. In 1946 Ed began a career as a fireman with the Soo Line railroad working on the majestic steam locomotives. As years passed, he became an engineer and continued to work on the Soo Line for the next 40 years until he retired in 1986.

In 1951 he married his wife of 66 years, Alice, and they bought a home in Fridley, Minnesota in 1956. They had 2 sons Kevin and David. During the years in Fridley, Ed shared his enjoyment of bird watching, ice-skating and hockey, fishing and swimming with his sons. He enjoyed feeding birds in the back yard as well as the neighborhood dogs with his famous “low grade luncheon meat.” In addition to this, the family enjoyed numerous trips over the years to the “farm” in Ladysmith, Wisconsin Alice’s hometown. Playing bingo at the Short Stop in Fridley was the last of his favorite places for entertainment. He was a regular there until he fell in January of 2016. After a month in rehab he moved to an assisted living facility in Blaine, Minnesota where he passed away on December 23, 2017. Ed will be missed by his friends and family.

Preceding Ed in passing were his parents, Carl and Ragna Benson; son, David in 977; sisters, Ruth Orttel and Gloria Koniar; brothers, William and Rueben.  Surviving members of his family include wife, Alice; son, Kevin (Margaret); grandsons, David (Andrea), John and Sam Benson (girlfriend Niki); Ed also had 3 great-grandchildren, Bennet, Brody and Maria.

Visitation will be at Miller Funeral Home at 6210 Hwy 65 NE in Fridley on Wednesday, December 27th from 5-7 pm with a Prayer Service starting at 7 PM.  A private family burial will be on Thursday, December 28th. at the Sunset Cemetery in Minneapolis.