Lou Ely "Lou" Benoist passed away peacefully on March 6, 2021 at the age of 92. He was born on August 16, 1928 in Morondava, Madagascar, a former French Colony.

He was raised in Beirut, Lebanon, where he attended a Jesuit high school and then later graduated from the French Petroleum Institute in Paris with a Mechanical Engineering degree.

Lou joined the French Colonial Army and the French Army Corps of Engineers, as an officer, serving in France and their former colonies. Lou was sent to the Sahara Desert to do oil exploration as Operational Manager in guidance and testing with Dowell Schlumberger International, Inc.

At the end of four years, Lou returned to the home office in Paris, France where he met Judith, a young student from Ohio who was studying French at the Sorbonne. Lou and Judith were married on August 6, 1966 in The First Presbyterian Church of Wooster, Ohio.

While working for J.I. Case/Tenneco, Inc., Lou was transferred to Tampa, FL and later to The Hague, Netherlands in 1976 as a marketing executive. In 1979, Lou was transferred to Orlando, Florida, where he later started a real estate company in Winter Park.

Lou retired in the mid 1990's but still enjoyed dabbling in real estate ventures when the opportunity presented itself. Lou developed and built a commercial building, "The Cloisters" on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, FL. It opened in 2002.

Lou is survived by his wife, Judith and his two sons, Blaise (Elizabeth) of Orlando and Leonel (Michele) of Tampa. They have five grandchildren: Luc, Juliette, Chace, Chloe and Trey.

Lou stressed love of family first and followed the Rotary Four Way Test. Lou joined the Rotary Club in 1981 and will be presented a Paul Harris Fellow posthumously in 2021.

The family of Lou E. Benoist invites you to leave a message on the Tribute Wall created in his memory.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to: Halifax Heath Hospice 3800 Woodbriar Trail Port Orange, FL 32129.

There are no services scheduled at this time.