Donovan Benzie

Donovan Boyd Benzie, 86, Taylor, died Monday, January 30, 2006, at his daughter?s home in Auburn, WA. Memorial services will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006, in Risser Auditorium at Dickinson High School, Rev. Gary Wood officiating. Inurnment will be in Pioneer Cemetery, rural Taylor. Visitation will be noon to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, 2006, at Price-Murphy Funeral Home, Dickinson. The family invites all who knew and loved him to join them in a celebration of his life with Masonic Rites followed with a prayer service and sharing at 7 p.m. Friday at Price-Murphy Funeral Home, Dickinson. Donovan Boyd Benzie was born June 14, 1919 to David D. Benzie and Bertha M. (Elkin) Benzie at the B. T. Elkin Ranch and lived there until the age of five, when the family moved to Grandma (Benzie) Waters farm south of Taylor. Don attended the Taylor School graduating in 1938. In the fall of 1929, Donovan joined Taylor’s first Boy Scout group, “The Flying Eagle Patrol”, from which he and another earned the Eagle Scout award. He was active in many groups during his college years. At DSTC, one of his college honors was being chosen the 1941 Homecoming Chief. After graduating in 1942, he worked as a Boy Scout Executive in Watertown, SD. In 1943, Don married Virginia Scott in Dickinson, at the First Congregational Church. In 1944, he transferred to a similar scouting position in Ft. Myers, Fl. He left professional scouting in 1945 to become a co-owner in the Palm City Brick and Tile Co. and the General Manager of the Palm City Building Co. Persuaded by friends to return to education, he started work for the Lee County School System as Director of the Fort Myers School District’s Music Program. Based on an article about his educational work, he was offered the Florida District Manager position with Encyclopedia Britannica Films (EBF) and they moved to Leesburg, Fl. In 1953, the Director of the Florida State Conservation Dept. asked Don to work as their Public Relations Administrator and they moved to Clearwater, FL. After a brief venture as co-owner of a fish brokerage, he returned in 1955 to EBF as a District Manager and the family moved to Chapel Hill, NC. In January 1957, they moved to Atlanta, GA where he became the SE Regional Manager for EBF. As the regional manager, he was responsible for 11 southeastern states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In 1960, Don and his family returned to North Dakota and after a year of semi-retirement, he returned to EBF as it’s National Sales Mgr. for the USA and Canada. For two years, he commuted to his office in Chicago. In 1962, to help him be closer to his family, EBF established the Upper Midwest Special Sales Consultant position for him. In 1965, the Dickinson Public School Board approached him to take the position of Superintendent for the Dickinson Public Schools, which he did and held until 1984. During those years, the school district was recognized from state and national sources for its innovative approach to meeting the educational needs of its students. He always dreamed of designing a school building that would allow the needs of children to be its primary focus, and he would search for innovative ideas in his many travels. Thus, the Dickinson High School, the Heart River Elementary School, and other remodeling projects became the culmination of his dream. Donovan was active in many organizations: Taylor Lutheran Church, Congregational Church, Boy Scouts, Rotary, Elks, Masons, DSU, DPS, educational associations and other organizations that benefited the communities in which he lived. Donovan is survived by his daughters, Patricia (Von) Riddle, Dickinson, Donna (Bruce) Wandler, Auburn, WA, Karen (Kent) Saunders, Bloomington, MN, Judith (John) Dalton, Dickinson; grandchildren, Lester Riddle, Patricia Riddle (Anthony) Morton, Virginia Wandler (Steve) Taylor, Beth Wandler (Troy) Burges, Porsche Wandler (Bryan) Appleman, Andreana Saunders, Geoffrey Dalton and Katharine Dalton; 3 great-grandchildren; one sister, Theola Stetson; sister-in-laws, Theolin Benzie and Jan Benzie, in addition to many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his wife Virginia Patricia Scott Benzie and their son, Donnie, his parents, brothers, Gerald E. Benzie, Gordon D. Benzie and Lee M. Benzie. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to a fund to be established in Donovan?s name.


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Burial Date: February 3, 2006