‘The grandest exit I ever did see’

12/01/2025 - “Dad, this is the grandest exit that I ever did see.” With those words, Diana Benavente Hocog opened her heartfelt acknowledgment as the CNMI gathered last Nov. 29 to lay former lieutenant governor Diego T. Benavente to rest with full honors.

Benavente’s state funeral drew hundreds—family, dignitaries, fishing partners, golfing buddies, political colleagues, and friends from across Micronesia—all paying tribute to a leader remembered for his service, humility, and wide-reaching influence.

The ceremonies began at the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center, where Gov. David M. Apatang described Benavente as a great statesman, a son of the Northern Mariana Islands, and a man whose life embodied dedication to public service.

“You know, the life of an elected official is unlike others, where at the end of the day, one goes home and leaves the issue of the day at the office, and as an elected representative and lieutenant governor, I am sure he brought home his work seven days a week. That took strength and enormous effort, and for that, I say to si yu'us ma'åse and ghilissou, Diego, for being the loyal public servant that our Commonwealth respected. The work you undertook and the sacrifices you made were not easy,” he said.

Apatang highlighted Benavente’s leadership in the Pacific Islands Development Bank and Association of Pacific Islands Legislatures and his uncanny ability to unify island leaders. 

Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero echoed those sentiments, emphasizing that Benavente’s impact extended far beyond the CNMI. 

“With his mind, with his capacity, his competence, his intelligence, and his acumen, he lifted and made a difference in many of the lives of our Micronesian brothers and sisters.” 

She added Benavente uplifted everyone’s life in the region with his policies in health care, education, housing, safety, and family peace.

“Through his influential deliberations and debates during PIDB meetings, he has given many, many of our people the opportunities to be successful in their businesses, the opportunities to send their children to go to school, and the opportunities for housing for our people. This is the kind of man that I have known in Diego,” said Leon Guerrero.

A Mass of Christian Burial, led by Bishop Romeo D. Convocar, followed at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, with an emotional and expansive eulogy by his cousin Robert Torres. Torres painted a vivid portrait of Benavente’s foundation—his formative years growing up in Susupe, his love for the ocean, his deep ties to the Tenorio and Benavente clans, and his circle of friends across the region.

“When you’re out on the ocean and feel that extra push of wind… when you’re on the golf course and the ball unexpectedly curves toward the hole instead of away… when you’re riding your bike or walking through the campus of Northern Marianas College all of these things you can see where Diego is in your heart because he's there,” he said.

Torres added that Benavente often said his “cup overflowed,” a testament to a life blessed beyond measure. “What more could he want? Time. That was the one thing God said he did not have. So he took the time he was given, and he savored it.”

He also emphasized Benavente’s devotion to “the series of F’s that guided his life—family, friends, faith, fishing, and forgiveness.” He said Benavente had “a unique way of connecting with people, making each person feel seen, valued, and included.”

Torres also recalled Benavente’s “love at first sight” devotion to his wife, Vicky—a love so enduring that every boat he later commissioned with close friend Roland Johnson carried the name Victoria in her honor.

Diana’s acknowledgment provided some of the ceremony’s most personal moments. She thanked the community for the overwhelming support during her father’s illness. 

“These past few months, your presence, your prayers, and your love have carried us through the most difficult days of our lives. Every hug, every message, every meal brought to our home, and every moment you stood beside us. We are forever thankful.”

She expressed special appreciation to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and Tender Hospice staff, “whose tireless efforts and gentle hands gave him comfort and dignity to the very end.”

Diana also thanked the leaders who came to honor her father, including Apatang, Leon Guerrero, Lt. Gov. Dennis C. Mendiola, and former Palau president Tommy Remengesau Jr. 

“We saw the joy in our dad's eyes from all the love he was receiving, and he always had the biggest smile on his face whenever I'd say, ‘Dad, this is the grandest exit that I ever did see,” she said.

After the Mass, Benavente’s funeral procession made a symbolic pass by Smiling Cove Marina, a nod to his lifelong love of fishing, before he was laid to rest at Marpi Cemetery.

Benavente was diagnosed last August with acute leukemia—the aggressive Philadelphia chromosome-negative type. Instead of a treatment plan of chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant, he chose palliative care and spent the last weeks of his life with family and doing the things he loved the most. Benavente passed away last Nov. 20. He was 66 years old.

Report by Mark Rabago