Richard Arthur Benson, 78, of Washington, Illinois, passed away at his home held in the arms of his family, on October 16, 2021. Dad was born on April 20, 1943 in Dekalb, Illinois, the son of Arthur and Esther Benson. He married his high school sweetheart Joan (Stratton) on Sept 1, 1962 at the United Church of Christ in Shabbona, Illinois. For over 59 years they showed their kids and grandkids what a true partnership of love and respect looked like. Dad adored Mom. Surviving are his wife Joan, his three children: Rich Jr. Benson (Penny) of Washington, IL, Brad Benson (Jane Baer) of St. Paul, MN and Sarah Benson (Lin Takrudtong) of Naples, FL. In addition, are his 7 grandkids: Rich III (Jamie) Chloe, and Nina Benson, and Henry, Oliver, Abraham and Violet Baer-Benson. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Jackie Goken, and brother-in-law Eilert Goken. Dad grew up on a small farm in Lee, Illinois. There he learned about hard work, responsibility, finishing the job you started, giving it all you had, and following through with commitments. He lived by those lessons, and demonstrated them throughout his whole life. As a farm kid, Dad loved to show cattle, especially his prized Grand champion Hereford. The steer took best in show all over the state and dad regaled us with detailed descriptions of the steer's best characteristics, none of which we understood! Dad loved competitive games and sports, especially basketball. Playing for Shabbona High School, Dad earned All State honors and set the school scoring record. His "pump fake, then go straight up" move was legendary..but painful for the defender! Dad attended Illinois Wesleyan on a basketball scholarship for one year, but then followed his heart to the University of Illinois where Mom attended, and they were married. From U of I, he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Agricultural Economics. He then completed his studies with a Ph.D in Economics from Michigan State University. Dad began his career at Caterpillar in 1970. This adventure lasted nearly thirty-five years, and took the farm kid from Lee, Illinois, to the mountains of Switzerland and the jungles of Indonesia. He started as an Economist in Peoria, then headed to Geneva, Switzerland as Chief Economist for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He returned to Peoria as Manager of Product Source Planning, then spent four years in Jakarta, Indonesia as the Managing Director of PT Natra Raya. One of Dad's fondest memories was carrying suitcases full of Indonesian rupiah (currency) directly into the jungle outside Jakarta and purchasing land from the villagers to build the PT Natra Raya factory. The plant employed local workers and is still thriving today. In 1989, Dad became a Vice President of Caterpillar and ran the world wide lift truck business in Cleveland, Ohio. At that same time, he joined the board of Morrison Products, Inc. and served there for thirty years. He loved the company and marveled at their focus and efficiency. He returned to Peoria as head of Diversified products, before becoming President of Caterpillar Global Mining in 2001. He was so proud of the Global Mining team and the success they had. Dad retired from Caterpillar in 2005. He truly loved "Big Yellow." A year later he took over leadership of ASV Corporation in Grand Rapids, MN and helped run that company until it was acquired by Terex Corporation. Five Points Washington was a special source of pride for Dad. He worked tirelessly with the team to "make it happen" and in 2007 he saw it become a reality. He was also honored to serve with the St. Marks Stumpers, a group of "old guys with chainsaws" who helped clean up Washington after the tornado hit our town. Dad loved water. Our first family vacations were to Lake Delavan, then later were annual trips to Lake of Ozarks with our caravan of friends. No one could pack a station wagon with Olympia Gold like Dad! The memories made on these trips are shared with lifelong friends of over 50 years. Later on, Dad's monster pontoon boat rides at Oak Run were legendary, and no one had more fun pulling the grandkids on the tubes than he did! Dad also loved heading to Florida when the weather got cold, escaping the Midwest winters on the Gulf in Bonita Springs. Our Dad was Special. He was generous, optimistic, and encouraging. He took joy in all of our successes, and he was shamelessly proud of his kids and his grandkids. We always knew dad was there for us and would support us unconditionally. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 from 4-6:00 pm at Deiters Funeral Home and Crematory in Washington. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 21, 2021 at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Washington, Pastor Dick Hanson will officiate. Memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army Tree of Lights, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, or the Dream Center of Peoria.