Gregg R. Benson

Gregg R. Benson, 52, passed away on August 16, 2026, surrounded by love after spending his final days with his family close by. His family visited him each day throughout his time in hospice, while his mother and aunt remained by his side and were with him when he passed.

Gregg was born on April 10, 1974, to Dolores and Ramsey Benson in Staten Island, New York. He spent his early childhood in Staten Island and later called Princeton, New Jersey, and Bluffton, South Carolina, home.

Throughout his life, Gregg faced many medical challenges with strength and resilience, but those challenges were only one part of his story. They were never what defined him. Gregg was caring and deeply devoted to his family. Even when life presented him with challenges of his own, he continued to find ways, both big and small, to care for the people he loved.

Family was woven throughout Gregg's life. When he learned as a child that he was going to be a big brother, he was so excited that he went around sharing the news with everyone. As his younger sister grew up, he often helped look after her. Many years later, he welcomed becoming an uncle with that same excitement, happy to have a nephew become part of his world.

Gregg shared a particularly special bond with his grandmother. Some of his fondest memories were made alongside his grandmother and aunt, including the many shopping trips they enjoyed together. As his grandmother grew older, the grandson she had once cared for was there to care for her in return. He helped her recover after a car accident and, on Sundays, would walk beside her into church.

As his own parents grew older, Gregg became an important part of the rhythm of their everyday lives as well. He helped his dad navigate appointments and treatments during his battle with cancer. With his mom, it was often the smaller moments that meant the most—carrying in the groceries, doing the laundry, helping care for the dogs, watching their favorite shows together, or sitting beside her and rubbing her back. These were ordinary moments at the time, but together they became the fabric of a life shared.

Gregg had an exuberance for so much of what life had to offer. He loved stories in all their forms—between the pages of a book, on a movie screen, on television, or unfolding on a Broadway stage. He loved documentaries, live entertainment, and the anticipation of something new to experience. A new book, an upcoming movie, a show he wanted to see, or a trip on the horizon could make his face light up. When Gregg loved something, he embraced it wholeheartedly, and he loved sharing that excitement with the people around him.

He also had a remarkable memory. Gregg could recall facts, dates, stories, and details that everyone else had long forgotten, and he always seemed to know what movie, show, book, or event was coming next. His interests were many, but among his favorites were Superman, Smallville, comic book movies, the Star Wars universe, Disney, WWE, and Harry Potter. Trips to Universal Studios often came with another small tradition: finding a new Harry Potter T-shirt to bring home.

Gregg's love of experiences carried him beyond the stories he read and watched and into the world itself. He loved to travel, and his adventures took him to Europe, the Caribbean, and many other destinations. Yet of all the places he visited, Walt Disney World held a piece of his heart unlike anywhere else. Disney World was more than a vacation destination for Gregg. It was his happy place, a place that felt like home. He returned there throughout his life, sharing trips with his family and creating memories that will forever be tied to a place he loved so much.

That excitement for life was there from the time Gregg was young. Christmas brought its own kind of magic, and Gregg somehow always managed to choose the most popular—and often hardest-to-find—gift of the year. And somehow, his parents always managed to make sure it was waiting for him on Christmas morning.

Gregg graduated from South Brunswick High School and sang in the church choir at Queenship of Mary in Plainsboro, New Jersey. His love of music, stories, entertainment, travel, and discovering something new stayed with him throughout his life.

More than anything, Gregg will be remembered for the place he held within his family and in the lives of those who loved him. He was a beloved son, brother, brother-in-law, nephew, uncle, and great-nephew. He is survived by his mother and father, Dolores and Ramsey; his sister, Dana; his brother-in-law, Mars; his nephew, Luca; and his aunt and uncle, Phyllis and Bill, along with other family members and loved ones who will deeply miss him.

Gregg's life was so much more than the challenges he faced. It was a life filled with people he loved, stories that captured his imagination, places that made him happy, and experiences he couldn't wait to share. It was found, too, in the quieter things—in helping with the groceries, watching a favorite show together, walking his grandmother into church, or simply being there when someone he loved needed him.

He was deeply loved, and he loved deeply in return. The everyday moments that once seemed ordinary have become precious memories, and the stories of Gregg's life will continue to be told by those who knew and loved him. In those stories, in those memories, and in all the places and things he loved, a part of Gregg will always remain.

VISITATION:  9:30-10:30 am; Thursday, August 20, 2026 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church (Bluffton, SC)

FUNERAL:  10:30 am; Thursday, August 20, 2026 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church (Bluffton, SC)

BURIAL:  Lowcountry Memorial Gardens (Bluffton, SC)