Gordon “Gordy” Benit, 88, of Okoboji, passed away on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the Accura Healthcare of Milford.
A celebration of life will be held at 2:00pm, on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at the Maser Monarch Lodge in Okoboji. A luncheon and visitation will follow the service at the lodge. Burial will be held in the Okoboji Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Robinson Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Online condolences may be left at www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com.
Gordon L. Benit, the only son of Eldo and Thelma (Kruse) Benit was born March 24, 1935, in Spirit Lake, IA.
He was raised in Arnolds Park. His grandfather, CP Benit, and later his father, Eldo Benit, were the owners and operators of Benit Amusement Park which is where Gordy spent his summers. Winters were spent hunting and fishing. He loved our lakes area. He attended Arnolds Park School, graduating in 1954. On March 24, 1955, he was united in marriage to Bette Barber.
The first 15 years of their married life, he worked for his father at Benit Amusement Park. In his early 30’s, he took up the game of golf. He remembered the interesting terrain of farmland in SE Arnolds Park. He was able to obtain that land and he turned it from farmland into an 18-hole golf course. Thus, in the early 1970’s, Emerald Hills was born. It was a family business in which Gordy, Bette and at different times their children were involved in the operation. He planted trees, maintained the golf course, and thrived on the long hours of outside work. After 20 years of operation, they sold the course in 1993. Gordy continued to work in outdoor golf course maintenance until his retirement.
He loved the game of golf and cherished the camaraderie of his golf buddies. He had 5 holes-in-one in his golfing career and he played his last 18 holes of golf at the age of 87.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Bette; together they had a special life of love and devotion for 68 years; his four children, Susan Benit, and her significant other, Clark Christensen of Arnolds Park; Steve Benit of Okoboji; Sally (Steve) Morkovsky of Corsicana, TX; and Kate (Scott) Krout of Mesa, AZ; six grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his close aunt Anita (Irving) Bockman.
