Service Information
Douglas R. Benage, husband of Paula Johnson, age 52, of Hutchinson, Minnesota, passed away on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, Minnesota.
Memorial Service will be held Monday, January 31, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Acoma Township, Minnesota, with interment in St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Cedar Mills Township.
Service will be livestreamed on www.facebook.com/Immanuelhutch
Gathering of Family and Friends will be held Sunday, January 30, 2022, from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. at Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson and one hour prior to the service at the church.
Obituary
Douglas Richard Benage was born on December 4, 1969, in Hutchinson, Minnesota, to James & LauraLea (Schroeder) Benage. Doug was baptized as an infant on December 21, 1969, and later confirmed in his faith as a youth on May 20, 1984. He received his education at both St John's Lutheran School and the Hutchinson Public school district. He was a graduate of the Hutchinson Senior High School class of 1988.
Doug was employed by HTI in both Hutchinson and Plymouth, Minnesota, for 24 years. He was currently working in Quality Control at 3M Company in Hutchinson.
Doug was united in marriage to Dawn Jahn at St. John's Lutheran Church Cedar Mills Township, Minnesota, on October 6, 1991. This marriage was blessed with two children, Dalton and Dillynn.
On November 11, 2017, Doug was united in marriage to Paula (Nass) Johnson at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Acoma Township, Minnesota, and subsequently gained a new daughter, Abigail “Abby”. In the years since, Doug was ardent in the blending of his families. Doug and Paula shared four rich and devoted years of marriage and resided in Hutchinson.
Doug was an avid fisherman and thoroughly enjoyed the 15 years he competed in the Prairie Lakes Angler Fishing League with his nephew, Jimmy on the team, “Bobber Boys”. Minnesota professional sport teams intrigued him greatly, but usually broke his heart.
Doug openly embraced his desire for adventure with his wife. Travel became a frequent pastime for Doug and Paula, with his favorite destinations being anywhere in Florida and wherever his sister, Julie, was residing. He loved to follow tried and true recipes, smoke various meats, fry a turkey or fish and entertain family and friends. He was always available when someone was in need and shared his time and support generously. As such a fan of music, he loved to sing and hum while he cooked or did chores around the house. This guy always had a little extra pep in his step that was contagious. He gave the best hugs and reminded his family of his unconditional love often, sometimes just calling (not texting) out of the blue to see how you were doing.
He thanked God he was a country boy! Deer hunting, sweet corn, and potato sausage making seasons were his annual treasures. And, he was proud of the gravel on his truck!
Doug passed away on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, Minnesota, at the age of 52 years. His heart may not have been the strongest, but it sure was kind.
Blessed be his memory.
Doug is survived by his:
Wife, Paula Johnson;
Son, Dalton Benage;
Daughters, Dillynn Benage and Abigail “Abby” Johnson and her partner, Adam Bontje;
Parents, James and LauraLea Benage;
Sister, Ann Zivkovich and her husband, William "Ziggy";
Brother, James "Jim" Benage and his wife, Jodee;
Sister, Julie Carie and her husband, Curtis;
Parents-in-law, Carl and Elva Nass;
Sisters-in-law, Debra Boelter and Polly Howe and her husband, Dan;
Seven beloved nephews, two nieces, their spouses, children, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and many, many, more relatives and friends.
Doug is preceded in death by his Grandparents: George and Annie Benage and Emil and Marie Schroeder; Parents-in-law, Darlene and Donald Jahn; Sister-in-law, Dawn Nass; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in Doug’s memory to:
Prairie Lakes Anglers | c/o Jeff Peterson | 18112 - 668th Ave | Darwin, MN 55324
The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to everyone for their attendance and support. No individual acknowledgements will be sent.
Nichole White says
Paula, so sorry for your loss. Curt told me that he has passed away. Sending you many prayers during this time.
Naomi (Hopkins) Noerenberg says
Sorry for your loss. I worked with Doug. Prayers for your family
Valerie J Thomas says
So sorry to hear of Doug’s passing. My deepest sympathy to the family. I knew the entire Benage family when I was a member of St. Johns Lutheran Church. I got to know Doug even more, working with him at HTI. He always had a great sense of humor & a warm smile. He will be sadly missed.
Scott Lemke says
So sorry for your loss Paula.
Barbara Rasmussen says
So sorry to hear of the passing of Doug. God bless your family at this sad time. Your family is in our prayers.
Kim and Charlie Schimmelpfennig says
Paula and family, my heart breaks for you. Doug will be greatly missed. He was one of the good ones.
Rob Benage says
I’m so sorry to hear of Doug’s passing, My heart goes out to Doug’s entire family, in this time of grief, It is sad , that you had to lose him at such a young age. May God bring peace to all of you.
Linda M. Rannow says
To Doug’s family my deepest sympathy. Working with and getting to know him I know he will be greatly missed. So very saddened by this news.
Linda M. Rannow says
So very sad to hear Doug has passed. Working with him at HTI and getting to know him brings memories of a good man, always pleasant to be around. Comfort to Paula and Doug’s family.
Twyla G. Waller says
Our deepest sympathy. Thoughts and prayer are with you all.
Twyla & Chuck
Abby Johnson says
This must be some cruel joke. Miss you already, dad.
Ed Meyer says
It worked for Doug for a few years of HTI. We would spend most of the day talking about hunting and fishing but we did manage to get work done too. He was a good boss treated everyone well. He was very proud of the son and daughter. He was also very proud of the year he won the fantasy football league and the shirt I bought him for winning the league
RIP my freind
Barb Schultze says
Sympathy to all of Doug’s family
Thoughts and prayers to you.
I was neighbors to Doug’s family by Cedar Mills
David Schlueter says
So sorry for your loss! My thoughts and prayers are with you all!
Anna harrier says
I just had only met Doug at our family reunion , he ans his wife Paula amazing people , he did a wonderful job doing the kids games , what a true angel he was ,, God bless
Barb Schultze says
Sympathy to all the family
Paula & Doug Inselmann says
Paula and family, We are so sorry for Your loss. You all have our deepest sympathy. I worked with Doug on 7L for a short while, But he had such a great sense of humor and was so easy to talk to, and still always said hello whenever I saw him, and he always laughed at my stupid jokes, and listened to my l-o-n-g stories!! Again, We are so sorry.
Ryan and Kari Kaczmarek says
Sending prayers and hugs to the family during this difficult time. Doug was an amazing friend/coworker with a heart of gold!! He touched everyone with his kind words, smiles and his good hearted attitude. So greatful for the times we had together. You will be missed by many!!
Jonathan Wehler says
He was boss of mine at HTI. A great one too.
It was a pleasure to work with him there.
He always managed to squeeze in some every day
chit-chat while we plugged away at the work place.
Rest in peace, kind sir.
Sheila Rathke says
So sorry to hear Doug passed. My prayers to you and family. Love the Benage family always. Sheila Rathke
Sheila Rathke says
So sorry to hear Doug passed. My prayers go out to you and the Benage family. Always have loved the Benage family.
Melissa Wanous says
To Doug’s family,
Doug and I worked together for many years at HTI. He was fun to work with and to have at our break table. He was a hard working boss who was fair to all of his employees. Doogie- you will be missed by all.
Missy