Jeffrey "Sparky" Ellis Benson, 67, of Greenville, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday evening, Jan. 16, 2024, surrounded by his family.
Public visitation will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Donnell- Wiegand Funeral Home in Greenville. A tribute to Mr. Benson in honor of his service to Bond County will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Donnell-Wiegand Funeral Home. In honor of Mr. Benson’s service there will be an honor guard at the head of the casket during services. The Greenville Fire Department with various agencies will have a walk thru at 11 a.m. and Mr. Benson will be honored with a final ride thru town, escorted be all branches of first responders.
Mr. Benson was born September 6, 1956, in Kankakee,the son of Gordon and Winifred Swank Benson. He was one of five children. Mr. Benson grew up in Hillsboro, where he attended the local schools and graduated from Hillsboro High School with the class of 1974. Mr. Benson was married to Tina Vunetich and they had three children who all survive. “Sparky,” as everyone around Bond County knew him by, married Nancy Rita Ammann on Jan. 20, 1994 in Orlando, FL. They enjoyed 29 years together, before she passed on May 4, 2023.
Mr. Benson had almost 50 years combined service as a first responder for the community. His dedication to serving others was evident every day of his life. He was a member of the Panama Fire Department for 15 years, serving from 1976 to 1991. He then joined the Greenville Fire Department, serving various roles including firefighter, rescue squad member, assistant chief of administration, and most recently, as a fire commissioner. Mr. Benson had 33 years of service at Greenville. He worked at the Glass Factory in Schram City in his younger years. He retired from US Steel, formerly known as Granite City Steel. Mr. Benson had many years at the mill, was a member of the Labor Local, and operated a crane.
Mr. Benson is survived by his children, Robby (Kim) Benson of Panama, Mindy (Ryan) Tiek of Germantown, Kyle (Debbie) Benson of Panama, Chad (Brandi) Sexton of Greenville and Terri Sexton of Greenville; 13 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Rosemary (Kent) Tuetken of Irving and Margo Benson of Franklin, TN.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Mark Benson; sister LuAnn Hiller; and his parents.
Memorials in his memory may be made to the Greenville Firefighters Association.
