Richard G. "Dick" Benne
Richard G. “Dick” Benne, DVM, age 93, of Sturgis, Michigan, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis.
He was born December 11, 1932, in Manhattan, Kansas, to Erwin J. and Gladys E. (Meyer) Benne.
Dr. Benne practiced veterinary medicine for 30 years in the LaGrange area as a founding partner of LaGrange Animal Hospital. He was well known for his dedication to his work and the relationships he built with farmers and families throughout the community. In later years, he compiled many of his experiences into a book, Memories of a Barnyard Veterinarian, preserving stories from a lifetime of practice.
Richard was active in the LaGrange Rotary Club and the LaGrange First United Methodist Church. He gave generously of his time, serving terms on the town board, the hospital board, and as a mentor to local youth. For decades, he and his wife participated in international exchange programs, welcoming more than 35 guests from around the world into their home and introducing them to the LaGrange area. He was a lifelong farmer, remaining involved in agriculture through Benne Farm Services in Sturgis. For many years, he helped lead the Miracle of Birth tent at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair in Centreville, Michigan.
On July 2, 1955, in Oxford, Michigan, he married Errol S. Campbell. They shared 70 years of marriage, and she survives in Sturgis.
Also surviving are four daughters, Lorre (Chris) Davis of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Pam (Brent) Kirk of Portland, Oregon, Marcie (Michael Sylvester) Benne of Portland, Oregon, and Megan (Herb) Wagner of Moreland, Georgia; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother, Max (Beverley) Benne of Sturgis, Michigan.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a daughter, Linda Benne.
Visitation will be held Friday, February 13, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Frurip-May Funeral Home in LaGrange.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 10 a.m. at LaGrange First United Methodist Church.
Burial will take place in Greenwood Cemetery, LaGrange, Indiana.
'Memories of a Barnyard Veterinarian' tells of years of service to LaGrange County farmers
Sturgis Journal
Many of us had a pandemic project. For Dick Benne it was writing about his years as a veterinarian in LaGrange County, Ind.
“Memories of a Barnyard Veterinarian,” by Richard G. Benne, DVM, is now In print.
It might not sell as many copies as “All Creatures Great and Small,” but it’s a local story that keeps alive the spirit of rural Americ
Today, Benne and his wife, Errol, are in a Thurston Woods assisted living suite. But Benne easily remembers his childhood, shaped by his father’s choices which influenced his adult decisions.
It was all about the fulfilling work of the American farmer.
Stories of threshing crews are only one generation back for Benne. His father quit school at eighth grade for the adventure of traveling with those crews.
After a few years, he decided there had to be a better way to make a living so he went back to school, graduated from high school, graduated from college, earned a master’s degree and finally a Phd.
Education was important to Benne’s father, but so was living the farm life, so they did.
“During high school and the first years of college, we milked twice a day in addition to planting and harvesting our crops and keeping up our schoolwork,” Benne wrote in the preface of this biography.
All the while their father was on staff at Michigan State University.
Benne and his bother Max Benne, also of Sturgis, got a college education while living at home.
In college, Benne narrowed his options down to being a veterinarian so he earned the degree and got married. Next, he and Errol needed a place to live, practice and raise their family.
Eventually they settled in LaGrange.
There were two veterinarians in town and one was ready to retire. He sold the Bennes his house, introduced him to farmers and Benne was up and running in 1957.
Not only was LaGrange rural, it was Amish country so he had plenty of work and the practice grew several times as Benne added another veterinarian, then another.
In 1982, Benne and his partner sold the business to their three associates and went to work at the Topeka and Shipshewana sale barns.
Their job was to run blood tests on the cattle and swine, screening for disease carriers. The wives of both veterinarians helped with the process.
“It was boring work,” Benne said. “Like working in a factory.”
It was not interesting and different every day like working in the barnyards around the county, but it gave both couples freedom. The two veterinarians alternated weeks so it allowed for time to travel.
After another 12 years, then Benne retired.
They spent years staying busy, enjoying their family and traveling, but eventually Errol’s heath began to fail so they moved into assisted living. With all the down time, Benne wrote a book about his life experiences.
“It was my pandemic project,” Benne said. “I decided to write something for the kids.”
The Bennes had five daughters, but one died at age 10 from a rare disease. Their four living children provided seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Like his father before him, Benne loved farming so along the way he purchased a 300-acre farm on the south end of Big Hill Road.
“My background had a big influence on my choice of vocation, location and lifestyle,” Benne said. “I guess that’s why I became a farm animal veterinarian and chose to live in a rural area, fulfilling my desire to own land. I’ve never regretted those choices.”
"Memories of a Barnyard Veterinarian" is available at www.blurb.com/bookstore.