Marcus Bennion: Farmer, Father, and Quiet Community Leader
Marcus Bennion: A Stalwart Farmer and Family Man of Old Granger
Marcus Bennion (1865–1913) was born on June 10, 1865, at the Bennion ranch in Rush Valley, Utah, in a rugged log cabin with a dirt roof and rough board floor. The fourth son of John Bennion and Mary Turpin, Marcus grew up in a large blended family that included children from John’s first and second marriages. From an early age, he displayed remarkable strength and resilience, growing into a tall, sturdy man known for both his physical vigor and keen intellect.
His childhood alternated between the ranch in Rush Valley and the family home in Granger, where he attended school. As a young man, Marcus pursued higher education at Brigham Young University and later the University of Utah. Though financial pressures eventually drew him away from college and into the family’s sheep-raising operations, his intellectual curiosity and love of learning remained a defining part of his character.
On December 27, 1888, Marcus married Lucy Evelyn Smith. The couple first lived in a rented home across from what would later become Harmon’s grocery store at 4000 West and 3500 South. Shortly thereafter, they purchased a 60-acre farm at 3965 South and 3200 West, where they built a home that became the center of family life. Marcus and Lucy raised seven children—Hilda, Ivy, Marcus Leslie, Edna, Mildred, Roy, and Leo—instilling in them a sense of duty, faith, and resilience.
Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing around 200 pounds, Marcus was imposing yet gentle. He was shy and preferred small gatherings to crowds, avoiding public speaking and church activity, though he quietly supported his community. He contributed generously to church funds, missionary efforts, and civic causes. Though he was not married in the temple until late in life, Marcus held a deep faith and encouraged his family’s religious involvement.
Marcus was a hardworking farmer and stock raiser, caring for livestock and tending crops with diligence. In his early thirties, he faced significant financial hardship when a drop in wool prices forced him to assume debts on the family farm, a burden he carried for the rest of his life. Around this time, he developed diabetes, managing the illness with strict diet and tireless work—long before insulin was discovered. Despite the disease, he remained active and devoted to his family until his final years.
Marcus loved books, reading, and intellectual pursuits. He instilled a love of learning in his children, encouraging them to read widely, and maintained a home filled with books, newspapers, and magazines. He also cherished simple pleasures, from ice cream made at home to the care of the family’s animals and gardens, and he created fond memories with his children through chores, play, and family celebrations.
Marcus Bennion passed away on July 18, 1913, at his home in Granger at the age of 58. At his death, his eldest child was 24, and his youngest only 11. Though he left behind a grieving family, Marcus’s legacy endured in the values he modeled—hard work, integrity, faith, and devotion to family—and in the community he quietly served.
