Gary R. Benson , 83, of Moline, passed away Monday July 1, 2019 at home.

Memorial services are 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, at Salem Lutheran Church, Moline. Inurnment, with military honors presented by Moline American Legion, Post 246 will be at National Cemetery, Arsenal Island. Visitation will be 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, 3030 7th Ave., Rock Island. Memorials may be made to Salem Lutheran Church, Moline or to the Meals on Wheels Program.

Gary was born June 24, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, a son of Roy O. and Eunice F. Deickmann Benson. He married Carla J. Dreon on August 6, 1971 in Rock Island.

Following high school, he attended the American Art Academy. He was a U.S. Army veteran.

Gary retired from the U.S. Post Office, Rock Island, in 1996. He was a long-time member of Salem Lutheran Church, Moline, and enjoyed many church activities. He volunteered with the Meals on Wheels Program for 35 years.

He was a talented artist and gifted painter. He enjoyed working in his yard, gardening, and was an avid reader.

Surviving are his wife, Carla, of Moline; daughter, Jeri Benson, Rock Island; son and daughter-in-law, Bret and Angela Benson, Rock Island; grandchildren, Jacob, Kieran and Lainey Benson; brother, Loren Benson, Morton Grove, Ill.; sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Charles Barbaro, The Villages, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents; one daughter, Regina C. Benson; and sister-in-law, Judy Benson.