University News
Benton Stidd Obituary
August 28, 2026
MACOMB, IL - - Former Western Illinois University professor Benton Maurice Stidd, 90, of Bloomington, IN, passed away July 13.
Stidd joined WIU in August 1979 and retired in May 1997, where he was a tenured professor and chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences.
He was a widely recognized authority on Carboniferous-era ferns; he authored more than 30 scientific papers and worked on and secured many National Science Foundation grants.
Benton married his high school sweetheart, Judy (Parrish) Payton, in 1959 and had four daughters. He later married Eun Joong Lee in 1983 and had one daughter.
After retiring from WIU, Stidd returned to Indiana and bought a farm that he worked largely by himself for nearly two decades, while caring for his aging parents. Over the years, the farm was also home to as many as five horses, most recently Rosie and Scratch. He remained a lifelong learner and avid reader of books on science, religion and philosophy until the end of his life.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Raymond Stidd and sister Janet Drew. He is survived by his five daughters: Beth Petry (Kurt), Laura Shipley (Melvin), Kelly Faust (Dennis), Faye Ferguson (Rick), and Reva Zinger (Jonathon), as well as 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
For more information on Stidd's life and legacy, visit heraldtimesonline.com/obituaries/psbn1523420.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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