Ed “Slim” Benner, 91 of Selah, WA passed away July 12th, 2018 at Cottage in the Meadow in Yakima, WA.
He is survived by his son Roe Benner, daughter Sherri Murphy and sister Lorraine Phillips. He was preceded in death by his wife LaVonne, parents Paul and Anne and his sister Veronica.
Ed was born on March 9th, 1927 in Michel, BC, Canada. He left home at the early age of 15 to pursue his independence. He supported himself logging and working on ranches. At the age of 18 he joined the cavalry during WWII and was sent to Japan. After the war he traveled to Custer, South Dakota with an army buddy, “Cliff Lang.” It was there that he met his dear friend Roe Bailey and became a saddle bronc rider and horse trainer while working on Roe’s ranches and helping him put on rodeos. Ed rode saddle broncs in regional rodeos for many years and even worked as an extra in the movie “How the West was Won”! He met his beautiful wife, LaVonne Kindler, in Hill City, SD; they fell in love and were married in 1961 in Newcastle, WY. In 1962 Ed and LaVonne moved to Alaska where Ed logged at Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island and later operated heavy equipment at a Barite mine on Castle Island near Petersburg, AK. While in Alaska Ed learned to fly and purchased a Cessna floatplane. He thoroughly enjoying flying throughout SE Alaska, often camping and fishing with his family at the many pristine lakes in SE Alaska.
Ed and LaVonne moved from Alaska in 1973 to Kittitas, WA where they raised beef cattle and race horses. Ed operated heavy equipment on the north slope of Alaska for almost 15 years after moving to Washington and retired from the Operators Union in 1989. Ed continued to stay busy on the ranch in Kittitas growing hay as well as raising a few race horses. In 1992 Ed and LaVonne bought 10 acres near Selah, WA. Ed continued raising hay and training until horses until he was in his early 80s.
Ed was most happy when he was training a new horse and will always be remembered as the classy cowboy that he was!