Hockey player.
Born at Winnipeg on 29 July 1920 to Elizabeth “Eliza” Turnock (1889-1981) and Joseph Moore Benson (1887-1967), he grew up in the Wolseley area of Winnipeg, where he discovered a passion for hockey. A centreman, he played three years with the Winnipeg Monarchs in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and was on several winning provincial teams. In 1940, he won the MJHL scoring title. At the age of 20 he signed his first professional contract with the New York/Brooklyn Americans of the National Hockey League. During the Second World War, he left hockey to join the Canadian Navy and served as a Lieutenant aboard the frigates, HMCS Cloyoquot and HMCS Grou. After the war, he played in the American Hockey League for the Cleveland Barons and then the Pittsburgh Hornets, and was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.
In 1942, he married Jean Elizabeth “Betty” Durno (1921-2008), with whom he had two children. His business career with Great West Life began in 1950, in the Group Office, and upon his retirement in 1985, he was made an honorary member of the American Dental Association for his dedicated service to its members.
He was an avid sailor, competing in Lightning Class Regattas in Canada and the Caribbean. One of his greatest honours was placing fourth in the Canadian National Sailing Team, in the Lightning Class Finals in 1971. He enjoyed many sports throughout his lifetime, playing squash at the Winnipeg Winter Club and enjoying golf and tennis. He also belonged to several bridge clubs. Meanwhile, with his family he enjoyed their cottage at West Hawk Lake in the summers.
After his marriage ended in divorce in 1980, he married Norma Bailey (1944-2025) in 1982. They enjoyed travelling and spent their winters at Vancouver, British Columbia.
He died at Winnipeg on 8 February 2012.
Birth registration [William Lloyd Benson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Divorce [W. L. Benson, J. E. Benson], Winnipeg Divorce File Index, 1917-1984, Archives of Manitoba.
Obituary [Jean Elizabeth (Betty) Benson Harvey], Winnipeg Free Press, 22 November 2008.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 11 February 2012.
Obituary [Norma Benson], Winnipeg Free Press, 15 November 2025.
“William Lloyd ‘Bill’ Benson,” Allen Family Tree, Ancestry.
“Benson, Bill,” Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 17 January 2026
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