Philip Aaron “Phil” Bensel, 76, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2026, in Richardson, Texas.

Born on November 1, 1949, in Spokane, Washington, Phil faced challenges early in life, which he overcame with grace, pride, and determination. He built from those beginnings a life marked by integrity, perseverance, devotion to family, and a deep commitment to being a good man. He gave his children many of the things he had not been given himself: steadiness, guidance, love, and a sense of what it meant to live with dignity.

Phil was a gifted athlete and a lifelong lover of golf, spending much of his youth on the course in Spokane. He became an excellent golfer, even playing once in the Texas State Open, though he remained characteristically modest about his talent. Later in life, he found joy in other pursuits as well, especially being outdoors, riding his bike around White Rock Lake, and, in retirement, oil painting. What began as something he had always wanted to try became one of his great later-life gifts. His landscapes were striking, expressive, and full of feeling, and his more recent work reflected a bold, textured style that showed both creativity and courage.

Phil served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam conflict aboard the USS Ranger, standing watch in the Combat Information Center as an NTDS console operator and track supervisor. He was proud of his service, proud to be a veteran, and grateful for the ways that service broadened his world. He especially enjoyed his time in Hong Kong, a place he remembered fondly.

After his military service, Phil went to work first in an aluminum mill and then steadily built a distinguished career in safety engineering and risk management. Through intelligence, discipline, and persistence, he rose into senior leadership roles. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and later completed his MBA at Amber University, now Amberton University. He also earned the Certified Safety Professional credential, along with numerous other certifications that reflected the depth of his expertise and the seriousness with which he approached his work.

He was known for his knowledge, his judgment, and the care he brought to the people behind the work. He wrote safety manuals, brought organizations into compliance, improved conditions on job sites, and helped protect workers from harm. In risk management, he was equally skilled, helping organizations save substantial resources through thoughtful analysis, negotiation, and leadership. He mentored others, held high standards, and believed deeply in preparation. He often said, “What’s your plan? Make your plan and work your plan,” and he was fond of the old military maxim of the seven Ps: proper planning prevents poor performance.

More than any title or accomplishment, Phil was devoted to his family. He married the love of his life, Mary, on November 28, 1975, at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Spokane, Washington. Their story began on a dance floor, when he asked her to dance before leaving early for a golf tournament the next morning. He asked for her number, and she handed him her business card. They built a beautiful life together, and in November they celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Phil often said he had “married up,” and anyone who saw them together knew how deeply he loved her. He showed that love not just in words, but in the steady habits of a shared life: random flowers on the kitchen table, breakfast brought home in the morning, meals cooked just the way she liked them, late-night dishwashing, back scratches, home projects, and a constant desire to give her the best he could.

He was a proud and loving father to Erin Elizabeth Pettus and Riann Christine Moore. He was also a devoted grandfather — “Grandpa Tutu” — to Rowan Elizabeth Moore, Connell William Moore, and Charlotte Christine Pettus, who brought him immeasurable joy. He loved being with his grandchildren and delighted in their purity, wonder, and curiosity. When he held each of them for the first time, he looked at them in open-mouthed awe, as if taking in something holy and astonishing.

He gave them nicknames, created traditions, assigned backyard jobs, and showed up for ballet performances, gymnastics events, softball and t-ball games, taekwondo belt tests, trombone performances, and the countless ordinary moments that become precious with time. On Christmas Eve, he read The Night Before Christmas. He made very strong eggnog. He bought thoughtful, beautiful gifts, including a first little blue dress for one granddaughter and, years later, her first college dress. He had a good eye and quietly excellent taste. He was especially proud that one of his granddaughters attended Texas A&M, and his A&M hat became one of the things that felt most like him.

Phil was also a storyteller in the truest sense. He loved a joke, loved a tale, and rarely let the truth get in the way of a better story. He exaggerated with flair, embroidered details with delight, and told stories with the kind of theatrical confidence that made people laugh even when they knew he was pulling their leg. Though he was born in Washington, there was something deeply Texan in the way he spun a tall tale.

He loved simple pleasures and daily routines: getting breakfast in the morning, bringing food home, watching the news, golf, and sports, riding his bike, working in the yard, fixing sprinkler heads, wandering the hardware store, and going to Applebee’s on Wednesdays for kids’ meals while leaving a generous tip. He loved an In-N-Out protein burger, his famous “sketters,” and plenty of garlic salt. He enjoyed films and shows including The Hunt for Red October, Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Top Gun, Shane, and The Rifleman.

He was a man of faith and an Episcopalian who deeply loved communion. At heart, Phil wanted the best for the people he loved. He loved deeply, gave generously, and hoped to be loved in return.

He was deeply loved by his family, including his sons-in-law, Daniel Pettus and Stevenson Moore, who were like sons to him.

Phil is remembered not only for what he overcame, but for what he built: a faithful marriage, a respected career, a loving family, and a life marked by hard work, humor, humility, and heart.

He will be cremated, and his interment will be at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

He will be deeply missed.

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