LOYAL DEAN ‘BEN’ BENHAM Jan. 8, 2021

Loyal Dean “Ben” Benham passed away January 8th, 2021 from heart failure in Corvallis, Oregon.

Ben was preceded by his beloved wife Millie. 

He is survived by his sons Tom and Jeff. Ben was a strong, caring supporter of his extended family and friends, and lover of the outdoors.

Ben was born in northern Minnesota, though he spent most of his youth in Washington state, working on farms and rebuilding cars even before he could drive. 

Ben and Millie met in Las Vegas while he was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. When he was transferred to Spain, Millie followed, and they were married in Gibraltar. 

Ben designed and built guidance systems and electronics for jets, rockets, and other aircraft including the SR-71 Blackbird, while in the Air Force and Honeywell Field Service. 

In 1976, he and the family settled in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he worked on the particle beam accelerator at Los Alamos National Laboratory until his retirement.

Ben and Millie headed out in their motor home three days after retirement, traveling throughout the US and Canada, including the Alaskan Highway and Newfoundland where they became supporters of the archeological site of the Colony of Avalon.

Between travels, Ben still consulted for Los Alamos where he designed and built the first atom trap. He continued to hike and explore in spite of struggling with Alzheimer’s until his passing.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, or the Colony of Avalon, Newfoundland. A virtual memorial service will be held
monday, January 1st at 5 pm. Email Jeff at belmondo@swcp.com for information.