Benjamin Thomas Benedum

Benjamin (Ben) Thomas Benedum died in his home on October 23, 2024, after a recent illness. He was 88 years old.

Ben was born on August 12, 1936, in Norman, OK, the only child of Margaret Lucille Benedum and Thomas Richard (T.R.) Benedum. His birth date is still the hottest recorded date in Oklahoma (120 degrees!); recognizing how miserable this must have been for his mother, Ben, ever the considerate soul, always gave her a present on his birthday.

Ben spent his formative years in Norman. He attended McKinley Elementary, riding his bike to school every day. This route became so familiar to him, he decided one day to ride home with a cap over his eyes, confident he could get home without injury. He barely survived running into a parked car, a fact he loved to joke about in his typical, self-deprecating manner. When Ben reached high school, he left Norman for the Culver Military Academy in Culver, IN. Ben entered the Academy as part of the Class of 1955. Ben thrived at Culver, making many good friends and excelling academically.

After Culver, Ben returned to Norman, where he attended the University of Oklahoma, obtaining a B.B.A. in finance in 1959. Ben went on to earn an MBA from Indiana University in 1961, and a Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law in 1965. He was in law school when his Army unit was activated during the Berlin Crisis in the early 1960s, and was later honorably discharged as a captain in the Military Police Corps.

From 1965 until 2013, Ben practiced law in Norman with the firm Benedum & Benedum. Ben came from a long line of Norman attorneys, including his great-grandfather, Judge Ben F. Williams, Sr., who settled in Norman not long after the Land Run of 1889; Ben’s grandfather, Ben F. Williams, Jr., a noted criminal defense lawyer, who began the firm in 1932; and Ben’s father, T.R. Benedum, with whom Ben practiced until T.R.’s retirement in 1991. Ben was always cognizant of this legacy, and he was honored to continue the tradition of practice in Norman. 

Ben’s own practice evolved into estate planning and real estate law, and he played a part in the development of much of Norman and its growth in his 40-plus years of practice. He received several awards throughout his practice, and while he was grateful, the accolades never made him as happy as he was helping clients solve their problems. With his sharp wit and kind nature, he always put his clients at ease as he guided them through the legal process. 

Like his father, who was one of four founding members of the OU Foundation, Ben dedicated a good part of his life to OU. He served on the OU Foundation Board of Trustees and started three scholarships, including one at his alma mater, the OU College of Law. Outside of OU, Ben served on the Norman Area Land Conservancy board as well as the boards of the Cleveland County YMCA, Jacobson House Native Art Center and the Norman Community Foundation. He also served as a director at the local and state level of the American Cancer Society.

For all his professional accomplishments, it was his family that brought Ben the most contentment. In 1975, Ben married Jane Housley and, with their children from prior marriages, they formed a household of seven. The early years of their marriage were filled with large holiday gatherings, frequent summer cookouts with friends and family, attending OU football games, and noisy car rides to soccer games, birthday parties, and regional family vacations.

Later, when all five kids were out of the house and Ben was able to reduce his busy workload, Ben and Jane (along with two loving dogs, Bud and Louie) were finally able to spend time for themselves. They traveled frequently to other countries on walking tours and small river cruises. They fed their curious nature by attending OSHA classes and speakers’ series at OU, and they maintained their appreciation for the arts through frequent visits to the theater. They had a joyful marriage, which ended after 47 years with Jane’s passing in 2022. 

Ben always said he was born in Norman, and he would die in Norman. He did not say this as a sign of resignation; rather, he had a deep love for Norman, the community in which he grew up and practiced, and he was proud to be connected both to it and the University it housed. Some of his favorite activities involved walking through campus early in the morning, eating breakfast at The Diner, enjoying local BBQ, and sharing a Crown Royal with his downtown colleagues.

Above all, Ben was a modest and gracious man, who treated everyone he met with dignity. He impacted many people in his professional and personal life, most of whom became life long friends. 

Ben was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Jane, and his daughter, Jill Verrall. He is survived by his children; Paige Benedum, Mark Benedum (Jonnalene), Traci Quick (Todd Fagin), and Becki Quick (Manuel Otero); his grandchildren, Katie Saski (Justin), Patrick Hart (Mary), Eleanor Fagin, and Kyarah Faith Benedum; and three great-granddaughters, Lily Saski, Ryan Saski, and Hazel Hart. Ben, and his family, also wish to acknowledge his two exemplary caregivers during the last year of his life, Valentine Umeh and Samatha Jones

. A Celebration of Life, open to all who knew Ben, will be held on December 14, 2024, at Legends, 1313 W Lindsey St., Norman, OK between 1:30pm and 3:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Norman Animal Welfare or the American Cancer Foundation.