James Wood Benson Jr

James Wood Benson, Jr. died on February 19th, 2025, in Seattle, WA, surrounded by family and friends. Jim will be remembered by his beloved wife of 51 years and two adoring children with cherished memories of Saturday mornings listening to jazz and classical music in the living room, long conversations during weekend hikes and cross-country ski trips, Scrabble games and card games, countless adventures on trips to Scandinavia, Turkey, Greece, and across Europe, Asia and North America, and his loving attendance during little league baseball, basketball, and lacrosse games and crew regattas. Jim had a quiet smile and sense of humor that encouraged everyone around him. He was deeply fortunate to have lifelong friends that became part of his extended family and who shared in each step of his journey.

Jim was born in Oakland, CA, on May 6, 1944, and grew up with his parents Fern E. “Brownie” Benson and James Wood Benson, Sr. in Aptos, CA. He loved his days in Aptos attending Watsonville High School and carried his baseball mitt with him everywhere he went – a passion for the game that would last a lifetime. 

From there, he attended Stanford University for college. He fondly remembered his roommates first introducing him to jazz at the Monterey Jazz Festival and discovering his joy for travel following a semester abroad in France. He attended Harvard Medical School, where he graduated magna cum laude and met many of the people who would become his lifelong friends. He recalled these days as being full of challenge, but also fostering admiration for medicine and his mentors and colleagues. On weekends, he loved sneaking out to play tennis and golf and it was during this time that a group of his co-fellows first introduced him to hiking and the outdoors, which would also become lifelong sources of joy. He completed his residency training at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, MA, and his post-graduate research training at the NIH in Washington, DC.

It was in Washington, D.C., that he met his wife, Bobbi. They would spend nights out at concerts and lecture series and dinners and weekends out hiking—activities that they would share and cherish together for more than 50 years. They were married in 1974 and then climbed into their baby blue VW bug and ventured out to Seattle, WA, where they would live and raise their family among the natural beauty of the Northwest, and dear friends, family, colleagues, and patients. Jim completed his training in endocrinology at the University of Washington and then started work as an endocrinologist at the Virginia Mason Medical Center. Virginia Mason would become his professional home for 30 years. He formed deep and lasting friendships with his early colleagues and the staff in the endocrine section – as well as in other subspecialties across the entire hospital. He deeply treasured his relationships with his patients and the opportunity that endocrinology provided him to often be a part of his patients’ care for many years—even decades—as they managed their diabetes and other conditions.

It was also during this time that Jim and his colleagues conducted some of the first published investigations into the use of the early insulin pump – an old converted chemotherapy unit nicknamed the “blue brick” that required basal rate adjustments with a screwdriver. Jim also served as a member and then director of Medical Education for more than twenty years, which he felt was one of the most rewarding parts of his career. In that role, he helped guide and counsel countless physicians in training. Jim then brought his passion for medicine and patient care to Group Health and truly enjoyed his colleagues and practice there until he retired in 2015. It was an unexpected source of deep joy and pride when years after his retirement, Jim found himself a patient at Virginia Mason and Swedish Hospitals and was offered the gentle, thoughtful, expert care of many of the physicians that he had once helped mentor. That legacy will forever be a source of comfort and joy for his family, as well.

Retirement brought Jim more time for both relaxation and adventures with Bobbi and his family. He relished spending time with his three grandkids and traveling throughout the country to see family, friends, and new places. Closer to home, he also enjoyed spending lots time on the deck in Seattle and on the Key Peninsula, reading books about history, sharing meals with friends, and playing a daily Scrabble match with Bobbi.

Jim is survived by his wife Bobbi Benson of Seattle, WA; his son Mark Benson (Jocelyn Farmer) of Lincoln, MA; his daughter Laurie Benson (Ondrej Sklenar) of Seattle, WA; his grandchildren Henrietta Benson, Lyle Benson, and Fritz Sklenar; his sister-in-law Betty Drumheller; his nephew Bill Drumheller; and his niece Corinne Edelstein Drumheller (David Edelstein).

Donations can be made in his memory to the "Medical Residency Education Fund" at the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Foundation (www.virginiamasonfoundation.org). 

A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at Skyline Retirement Community (725 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104) at 1:00 pm on May 10th, 2025.