Bennie Schon, age 94 of Bismarck, formerly of Turtle Lake, ND, died Saturday, January 2, 2010 at the Baptist Home in Bismarck.

Funeral Services: 10:30 AM Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010;
Trinity Lutheran Church - Turtle Lake;
Pastor Betty J. Stedman, officiating;

Interment: Turtle Lake Cemetery

Visitation: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Tuesday at Goetz Funeral Home in Turtle Lake;
Wednesday, one hour prior to time of service at the church.

Bennie was born March 10, 1915 near Mercer, ND, the first of twelve children born to William & Katie (Fiesel) Schon. He attended the rural Holmes Consolidated School until the 8th Grade. As a young man, Bennie was employed by area farmers and worked as a farmhand in Washington state for a short time. He married Ruth Blumhagen on Sept. 28, 1940 at Peace Lutheran Church in Turtle Lake. They moved to the Fiesel homestead farm, northeast of Turtle Lake, where they operated a dairy and farmed grain for 28 years. Bennie and Ruth raised three sons. In 1968, they moved to a farm north of Mercer where they lived and farmed until moving into Turtle Lake in 1985. Bennie continued to make many trips to the farm in his little blue truck for several years. He was well-known throughout the area for his ability to fix clocks, radios, and various appliances. He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, and bowling. Bennie & Ruth enjoyed traveling together and visiting with family and friends. In July 2006, he and Ruth moved to the Souris Valley Care Center in Velva. In January 2008, he became a resident of the Baptist Home. Bennie was a long-time member of the Turtle Lake Lions Club, the Trinity Lutheran Church Council, the church choir, and the Medicine Hill Township Board.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Ruth Schon of Bismarck; one son & daughter-in-law, Eugene & Ella Schon of Turtle Lake; daughters-in-law, Marilyn Schon-Rath of Wishek, ND & Margaret Bentz of Lincoln, ND; eight grandchildren, Kenny Simmons of St. Cloud, MN, James Schon of Lisbon, ND, Troy (Debbie) Schon of Lincoln, ND, Steve (Shelly) Schon of Bismarck, Chad Schon of Bismarck, Eric Schon of Mercer, Angela Schon of Bismarck, & Sarah (Jarvis) Keney of Wilton; nine great-grandchildren; two brothers, Joe (Lorraine) Schon of Mercer, & Albert Schon of Hayward, CA; four sisters, Frieda Spelevoy of Fayetteville, TN, Elsie (Ernie) Pieroni of Mount Shasta, CA, Ann Fetzer & Ardella Schon of Bismarck; two sisters-in-law, Helen Schon of Minot, & Ella Schon of Bismarck.

Bennie was preceded in death by his parents, two sons (LeVerne & Lyle), great-grandaughter (Kaylee Schon), four brothers (Harry, Walter, John, & William), & one sister (Ida Lick).

The family of Bennie Schon would like to thank the staff of the Baptist Home and Souris Valley Care Center for their excellent care of Bennie while he was a resident.