LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — Flags will be lowered to half-staff Saturday in honor of a former state lawmaker who recently died.
U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek will be buried Saturday.
“Our state mourns the passing of Congressman Dan Benishek,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a release as she ordered flags lowered. “Throughout his life, Dan put people first. As an elected official, Dan championed legislation that worked to protect our veterans, our men and women in uniform, and our precious lakeshores.”
Benishek, a native of Iron River, died Friday at the age of 69.
Before he was a lawmaker, Benishek was a surgeon for two decades at the VA medical center in Iron Mountain. He represented northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula in Congress from 2011 to 2017.
