Woodstock, Vermont

Robert (Bob) George Benz passed away on May 26, 2022. He was born on January 19, 1949 in Shidler, Oklahoma to Lewis and Cecile Benz. He grew up in Borger, Texas, an oil town in the panhandle of Texas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

Bob was a man of many talents with a gigantic personality. He was full of wit and wisdom and loved being hospitable. One could not walk into the Benz household without being offered a cup of coffee or something wonderful to eat. He was an Eagle Scout, Forest Service Fire Fighter, a master builder and fixer of everything. He was a mentor to many people young and old and left a lasting impression on anyone who met him.

He enjoyed the simple pleasures of life; making pancakes for guests, picking blueberries at Moore's Orchard, burgers and chocolate shakes at the White Cottage, contemplating the world's problems with a cat on his lap. He loved travel, weather, nature, bears, good chats, stories and puns, a good rock & roll song, and of course, a good cup of coffee. He loved the many family trips to Europe to visit his daughter and family and to enjoy his favorite German beer and bratwurst, and he absolutely adored his Grandson, Oskar and looked forward to the time they spent together.

Bob was devoted to his family. He spent years working with his son, Zach, building the family home using trees from the land to create a masterpiece of traditional and post & beam structure. He was a master carpenter and woodworker and all-around great guy with a heart of gold.

He had an extraordinary career in agricultural historical museums starting at Living History Farms in Des Moines, Iowa. His skills in the restoration of historically significant buildings would lead to immense projects of dismantling and moving a number of historic structures piece by piece and recreating accurate interiors and exteriors of the buildings. He brought his family to Woodstock, Vermont in 1986 to oversee the renovation of the 1890 Farm Manager House at the newly established Billings Farm and Museum and created many working reproductions of farm machinery in his 27 years as Museum Curator. He was active in many national museum organizations throughout his career, serving on several Boards of Directors. Most recently he was active serving on the Board of Trustees with the Woodstock History Center.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy Benz of 50 years of Woodstock, his daughter, Erika Benz and her partner, Alexander Brock and son, Oskar Benz-Brock in Erlangen, Germany and son, Zachary Benz of South Woodstock as well as three siblings, Ann Scheib of Thomasville, Georgia, Susan Krehbiel of Canadian, Texas and Ed Benz of Borger, Texas. He was a much-loved uncle to many nieces and nephews and of special note is Justin Boss of Palermo, Maine, who through good times and bad has been like a son to Bob and Nancy.

Our lives will not be the same without him.

Memorial Donations can be sent to Kilham Bear Center, 172 Grafton Turnpike Road, Lyme, NH 03768 or online: https://kilhambearcenter.org/

A Celebration of Life will be held on August 14, 2022 at the Barnard Town Hall in Barnard, Vermont from 12:00pm to 4:00pm