Otto Eric Benson

Otto Eric Benson, the son of Otto and Olivia Benson, was born Sept. 28, 1918, and passed away at home on Friday, March 6, 2015. He was raised in the Orchard Homes area of Missoula, graduated from Hawthorne Grade School, Missoula County High School and attended Montana State College.

Otto held many offices in the Order of DeMolay, where he was past master councilor. He received the degree of Chevalier and was awarded the DeMolay Legion of Honor in Kansas City. Otto was also a member of the Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star.

He was an active FFA and 4-H member. Otto attended the 1936 National 4-H Club Congress, the 1939 National 4-H Camp in Washington, D.C., and was a local 4-H leader for more than 25 years. He was a lifelong member of the Orchard Homes Country Life Club which was co-founded by his father, who started orchard farming in 1900.

Otto married Anne Stiegler of Grass Valley May 3, 1941. They continue to run Orchard Homes Dairy and a sugar beet operation, and raised two children on the farm. After the sale of the dairy herd in 1963, he delivered milk for Community Creamery and worked with Stiegler's Home Sales while continuing to farm. They celebrated the family's 100th year of farming in Orchard Homes in 2001.

When his son Bruce wanted to farm the family acreage, Otto gave him his full support, helping him develop a bedding plant and vegetable business. Otto did whatever needed to be done, transplanting and planting thousands of seedlings, pruning hundreds of fruit trees, harvesting vegetables and fruit, selling produce at the newly established Missoula Farmers Market, maintaining the lawn and marketing area, growing great gladiolas and strawberries, and welcoming friends, customers and groups of kindergarteners to the farm. Even at 95, he could be found planting glads, hoeing, harvesting and mowing the acres of lawn.

He was a tireless volunteer. As a charter member of the Missoula Rural Fire Department, he continued to serve for more than 25 years and received the "Volunteer Fireman of the Year Award" in 1980.

Staying in touch with his heritage, Otto and Anne visited Sweden, home of his parents. They were annual hosts of the VASA midsummer celebration on the farm and entertained visiting farm tours as well. They also enjoyed wintertime travel, cruising 28 times through the Caribbean and Panama Canal, to Hawaii and Alaska and along the Mexican coast and the Nile in Egypt.

Otto was preceded in death by his parents; Anne, his wife of 72 years; brothers, John, Elmer and Martin; half-sister, Hilda; and half-brother, Karl. He is survived by his son, Bruce of Missoula; daughter, Nancy Benson Hopkins and her husband Steve of West Linn, Oregon; granddaughter, Eden Hopkins and her husband Mark Ashton of Snohomish, Washington; granddaughter, Adrienne Hopkins, her husband Kirk Henderson and great-grandson Camas of Missoula; his sister, Esther Heyer of Missoula; sister, Ruth Drummond and her husband Tom of Billings; several nieces, nephews and cousins; and special friend, Kathie Bertlin.

The family would like to thank members of the Missoula community who shared fond memories of visits to the farm with Otto. He was very proud of the farm's history and its place in the community. One of his vivid memories was as a child seeing tepees and Indians digging Bitterroots on the farm.

A celebration of Otto's life will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at Benson's Farm. Donations in Otto's memory may be made to the Missoula County 4-H Office for 4-H youth attending 4-H Congress, 2825 Santa Fe Court, Missoula 59808, or to the charity of one's choice.
Read Otto Benson's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.