Mr. Michael Wayne Benjamin's Obituary
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7
The fourth and last child of Justus and Dorothy Benjamin, Michael was born on March 4, 1960, and entered a home in which Christ was at the center. A precocious child, Michael was the greatly loved baby of the family who enjoyed tinkering with things. He took lots of things apart and put them back together. He came into the world with an engineer’s instincts.
He attended public schools in Alexandria, Louisiana and graduated from Peabody High School in 1978. He began his bachelor’s degree at Southern University in Baton Rouge and completed it at Louisiana Tech University (LTU) with a degree in petroleum engineering in 1983.
Mike began his professional career in sales at Xerox Corporation. Shortly afterward, he joined Schlumberger Wireline Services as a field engineer and quickly promoted to higher positions in the U.S. and around the world. He ended his career at T. D. Williamson Pipeline Services in vice president and senior vice president positions. His career spanned 32 years. Michael embraced the full joys of retirement in 2017, vowing that he would never work again; he did not. He spent the last 9 years traveling with Dawn, his wife of 34 years; playing a key role in the care of his mother along with his siblings; serving on the Louisiana Tech College of Engineering and Science Advisory Board; and using his variety of skills to help others. In 2022, he established a need- and merit-based scholarship for engineering majors in his name at LTU.
He and Dawn briefly became owners of a recreational vehicle (RV) and visited numerous state parks in Texas and made new friends. He spent time on six continents because of his profession and his personal interest in expanding his knowledge and understanding of others.
He cherished every moment spent with both his nuclear and extended families, holding each of them close to his heart. He was a rock and guide for his children. He became an uncle at 14 and trained his nieces and nephews to call him Uncle Mike. He and his brother competed for “favorite uncle” status.
From the time he was a child--leading “We Are Soldiers in the Army” in the choir in the family’s rural home church on Cane River where he was baptized--to the day he passed, “his delight was in the law of the Lord and in His law did he meditate day and night.” There is no doubt that he is resting in power and peace with that great cloud of witnesses described in the 12th chapter of Hebrews, cheering us on with his dad, his Uncle James and his lifelong best friend, Bobby Madison.
He regaled friends and family with his stories from childhood. And could he tell a story! Missing his presence but filled with amazing memories are his loving wife, Dawn; his mother, Dorothy Givens Benjamin; his children, Christian Michael and Joi Helena; his in-laws, Bill and JoAnn Brown; his siblings, Helen Benjamin, Justus Benjamin Jr. (Karen); and Patricia Benjamin Webb (Charlie). Also left to cherish his memory are his much-adored nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, and many other beloved relatives, along with a devoted circle of great friends.
Donations:
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Michael W. “Mike” Benjamin endowed scholarship: https://securelb.imodules.com/controls/login/sts.ashx?sid=810&gid=1&returnUrl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.latechalumni.org%2fbenjaminscholarship
Or
Contributions (checks) payable to “Louisiana Tech University Foundation” with Mike Benjamin Scholarship on memo line.
Mail to: Louisiana Tech University Foundation at PO Box 1190 Ruston, LA 71273
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