Peter James Benn

Peter Benn passed away Thursday, October 31,2024 at the age of 94 years in St. Theresa Place, Northeast Calgary. Peter will be lovingly remembered by his children, Robert (Laurie), and Helen (Gerry); and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, Gladys and Arthur; his wife, Mary; his son, Richard and Richard’s wife, Dani.

Peter was born to Gladys and Arthur, on September 6, 1930 in Horsforth, Yorkshire, England.

Peter started his post-secondary education at the University of Leeds as a Mining Engineer. It was in University in the final months of his education that he met Mary, a nursing student, his future wife and adventure partner. A whirlwind romance ensued before Peter started his first job as a Petroleum Engineer for British Petroleum in Awali, Bahrain. The romance extended into a long distance relationship with many letters going back and forth. Finally unable to be separated from Mary anymore, Peter took leave from Bahrain to come back and marry her in Yorkshire. She then followed Peter back to Bahrain once married quarters had been arranged.

The combination of Mary’s sense of adventure and Peter’s independent nature, along with new experience and knowledge in the awakening Oil and Gas industry, brought the family to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on January 01, 1958 in the middle of a snow storm with Mary 6 months pregnant with Richard and their infant son Robert in tow. After a few years in Regina, the birth of Richard and later Helen, Peter was hired into Shell’s new Oil and Gas Department and the family moved to Calgary Alberta. While with Shell, the Family spent 3 years in Calgary, a few months in Houston Texas, 3 more years in Edmonton Alberta and then finally back to Calgary for 3 years. During the later part of his employment with Shell Peter ascended the management ladder eventually transferring into the new Tarsands Division, developing on-the-job expertise in tarsands mining and managing the division. The tarsands and management experience allowed him to successfully transfer to the Petroleum Research Institute at the University of Calgary as the Managing Director. His final career move was to the Oil and Gas Division of the Bank of Montreal, where Peter travelled to evaluate and assess BMO’s investments around the world.

Peter retired in September 1990, opening a new chapter in their lives. Now able to spend time with family, freely travel the world and spend winters in the warmth of Tucson, Arizona. These adventures took them to many exotic places including the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, Hong Kong and back to Bahrain. In the end Mary and Peter had hiked and explored places on every continent, except Antarctica and made many lasting friendships around the world.

Peter will be remembered as a hard working family man who always had a fantastic garden, homemade beer and wine, who hiked the Canadian Rockies and the Arizona Desert extensively. His kids will always remember his ability to see a piece of furniture in a store and then come home and reproduce it in the basement. Peter was a skilled handyman when it came to DIY and home renovations, developing living space and bedrooms in the basements of the Edmonton and the Calgary homes. They were also amazed at his ability to fix older items to keep them in working order (the clothes dryer lasted forever!).

The family would like to sincerely thank:

• The Staff at St. Theresa Place in NE Calgary for the excellent care and attention given to both Mary and Peter in their final years.

• Gail, Peter’s Executive Assistant from PRI who became a lifelong friend of Mary and Peter, to the very end.

A private family ceremony will be held to honour and celebrate Peter and Mary’s lives, in the mountains they loved.

If you wish to honour their memory, please consider a donation to their favourite animal rescue; “Tails to Tell” in Crossfield Alberta, www.tailstotell.ca/donate/