John Roy Benge

September 26, 1922 - May 24, 2020

John Roy Benge, 97, a native of Fredrick, Oklahoma, previous resident of California and long-time resident of Grand Prairie, passed away on Sunday morning, May 24, 2020. Funeral: 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at First Baptist Church of Grand Prairie. Burial: DFW National Cemetery. John Roy Benge was born on September 26, 1922, the son and eldest of 3 children born to the late John Elmo Benge and the late Willie Mae Hatter Benge. He was raised in Red Springs in west Texas where he attended and graduated from High School. He would play semi-pro baseball before joining the US Navy, serving proudly during World War II. He would live in Salinas, California before moving to Grand Prairie in 1967. He painted homes, followed by working as as an Assistant Manager for Tom Thumb. He also worked as a prison guard, but his longest tenure was working in Management for Brookhaven Medical Center, (now Dallas Medical Center) in maintenance and day-to-day operations. John was a faithful servant of Christ, and always a pastor's friend. He helped establish one of the first South Baptist Churches in California where he was involved in various ministry. After moving to Grand Prairie, he would join the First Baptist Church where he served as Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, was a member of the Sanctuary Choir and an active member of the Master Builders. Survivors: children, Jeffery Benge (Melissa), Martha Benge Walton (Richard), Robin Benge; grandchildren, Jessica, Rachael, Johnathan, Ricky, Delia, Zac; great-grandchildren, Hayzel, Katie and Brandon; sister, Helen Franklin; also by many friends from First Baptist Church and fellow resident of Mountain Creek Assisted Living Center. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of sixty-eight years, Bettye "Bet" Benge and a sister, Kathryn Pyle.