Dr. J. Michael Benson passed away peacefully at his home of nearly fortyfour years on May 26, 2023. As he always desired, he worked until he could no longer do so. Indeed, he last saw patients on Tuesday, May 2 before being diagnosed with esophageal cancer just two days later. Mike was born in San Angelo, Texas on May 20, 1948 to humble, loving parents Joe and Alleen Benson. His childhood was marked by spending time outdoors with family, including hunting and fishing. He attended San Angelo Central High School, where he began dating his future wife Marsha Spencer during his sophomore year. Mike played football at Central and graduated as salutatorian.

His family always smiled that Marsha was voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” Mike earned an academic scholarship to study engineering at Southern Methodist University. Outside of the classroom at SMU, he pledged the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, where he made many strong friendships. Mike and Marsha continued their romance at SMU, and they married in San Angelo in 1970. After graduating from SMU in 1970, he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. After earning his masters, Mike began working on a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, during which time he took a biomedical engineering course. He loved the course and decided to apply to medical school. Mike graduated from UT Southwestern School of Medicine in 1976 and completed his residency at Baylor University Medical Center. Marsha worked as a teacher to support her and Mike during medical school. They welcomed sons Bryce and Brock during residency. In 1979, Mike and Marsha moved to Sherman to start his medical practice as an internal medicine physician alongside his partner Dr. David Davis. They purchased a yellow home on Pecan Street to serve as their office and started the practice in August 1979. Mike was a consummate physician: he was compassionate, irreverent and empathetic. His diagnostic skills were tremendous. He guided countless families through the end-of-life process, often sharing his personal faith in Jesus Christ while doing so. During his forty-four years of practicing medicine in Grayson County, he served thousands of (often elderly) patients. Every day, he made rounds at Wilson N. Jones Hospital before and after his office day. He worked seven days a week his entire career and rotated three mobile phones to field calls from patients. He served on the board of Wilson N. Jones at various times, and also as chief of staff. While Mike loved medicine, he loved his savior and Marsha more. He read his Bible daily and his faith was simple and sure. Mike was a member of Grace Bible Church. Mike and Marsha always made time for dates in Dallas on Saturday nights and trips with just the two of them. Mike was a great father. Despite his extremely busy medical practice, he attended countless tennis matches and baseball games, and coached many of Brock’s baseball teams. He was a legendary grill master for Bryce’s pool parties. Mike, Bryce and Brock enjoyed many hunting trips to the Y.O. Ranch and other destinations in West Texas, which always held a special place in Mike’s heart. They also enjoyed scuba diving in the British Virgin Islands and other beautiful places. Later in life, Mike delighted in his six grandchildren, attending countless concerts, karate competitions, tennis matches and soccer games. He hated to ever miss a single one, and rarely did. He often took them to the hospital on rounds and on trips to Gander Mountain. They remember rides in his sports cars, collecting sticks for his smoker and, most importantly, his unconditional love. As a person, Mike was hard-working, funny, in charge, down to earth, stubborn and generous to a fault. He enjoyed good food, nice wine, grilling in his backyard and photography. Mike is survived by his beloved wife Marsha; his son Bryce and his wife Amy and their sons Carter, Caleb and Barrett Michael; his son Brock and his wife Pennie (who was a dedicated nurse in Mike’s practice for twenty-eight years) and their children Dalton (wife Megan), Sydney and Bailey. He is also survived by his siblings Bill Benson and Millie Abbott and their families, as well as his sister-in-law Trish Spencer. The memorial service will be at First United Methodist Church in Sherman on Tuesday, May 30 at 3 p.m., under the care of Waldo Funeral Home, after a private burial service at Friendship Cemetery. Reverend George Cline of Grace Bible Church will officiate, and the family will greet friends at a reception following the service. The family would like to thank Dori Poe and Natalie Menta for their loving care of Dr. Benson in his final days.