Hope only nail to hang onto for wife of missing Randlett man

RANDLETT — This Thanksgiving will be Maxine Benson’s second without her husband, Grady.

Where many with a late spouse will be able to at least offer thanks for the time spent with their significant other, she can’t be sure there’s more time.

Every day, a little bit more hope is lost. You can hear it in her voice. Where once she sounded upbeat with a positive tone, now, a yawning grief prevails between every spoken syllable.

“It’s very hard,” she said of keeping her chin up. “(This past years has been) Real hell.”

Nov. 9, 2022, the last time Maxine saw her husband. Grady Benson was last seen at his home on Cotton County East 1970 Road in Randlett by a family member around 8 p.m. His wife said they’d eaten at Bill’s Catfish in Waurika earlier. He returned to their homestead. She doesn’t believe he ever made it indoors.

Maxine said she’d ridden with her husband to the restaurant in Waurika. After eating, she left with friends for an early-morning bus departure from Duncan for a trip to Branson, Mo., the next day. Repeated attempts to contact Grady by phone that day were fruitless. When she was unable to reach him the next morning, she asked her son Grady Jr. to go to the home. The son saw his father’s boots with the socks laid over them by the windows at the house.

More calls from Maxine went unanswered. She sent Grady Jr. back to the house to search every room. This time, a friend joined him and they checked the 40-acre homestead. Still no signs of life or death.

All that was found of Grady was inside his pickup parked outside the home on the gravel driveway: keys, wallet and a folded jacket.

Described as a now 70-year-old white male, Grady stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall with gray hair and blue eyes. Maxine believes all Grady had with him when he went missing was the clothes on his back, his pocketknife, some Chapstick and her second fob for her vehicle keys. He had no health problems or financial issues that would make him suicidal or cause him to just “disappear,” she said.

The Cotton County Sheriff’s Office searched the surrounding land. A silver alert was issued and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) was brought in to assist in looking for Grady.

Maxine said over the past year, there have been multiple tips and searches conducted — from cadaver dogs traveling their land and surrounding area to sending a diver into a pond on the family property. No traces of Grady have been found, only false hopes.

Having spent his entire life living within a mile of their home, Maxine knows Grady wouldn’t just walk away from it or the life they built over their 49 years in each other’s company. On July 14, they reached their half-century milestone. She said it was heartbreaking to spend it alone and not with the love of her life.

Family and friends stepped in. Maxine said their efforts meant a lot even if they couldn’t alleviate the melancholy.

“We’ve got good friends,” she said. “They all showed up and, you know, did things. They brought flowers to me and blew up some pictures of us and framed them.”

On the anniversary of Grady’s disappearance, those friends and family returned. This, too, didn’t take away the pain and shock of everything, Maxine said. But it did mean a lot.

“There were lots of people who showed up and prayed with us,” she said.

Maxine said she’ll be spending this Thanksgiving with her son, Grady Jr. and his family. She said the family is still doing well or, at least, the best they can. They’re trying to look after her and keep her spirits lifted. The namesake son is trying to step into the elder Grady’s boots. The mother knows he keeps his pain tucked inside.

“I know what they’re doing; I’ve got a good kid and grandkids,” she said. “My son, he’s just, as I say, poor baby. He’s trying to do it all and help me.”

In the past year, the situation has taken a toll on Maxine. Where she was once a vibrant conversationalist and positive spirit, the weight of a year in limbo is being felt. She used to travel with friends. Now, that’s rare.

“It’s hard to be away knowing it could be the day,” she said.

Although a $25,000 reward was established for information leading to Grady’s recovery, there’s been no resolution.

Maxine has had her hopes dashed before. She said almost immediately after Grady’s disappearance someone tried to scam her with false information. She even called in a psychic; however, those leads turned out to be nonexistent. There was another incident in August that ended up with a situation with the Texas Rangers and a Waurika man who turned into a dead end.

While it’s hard to believe people would try and capitalize on another’s suffering, Maxine said “they do it.”

But hope is the only nail you can hang onto sometimes, according to Maxine. Grady is in her prayers every night and her thoughts throughout the day. One day, if she believes hard enough, someone will call with information leading to his return.

“You’ve got to (keep faith),” she said. “As I’ve said before, nighttime is my worst time, but I’ve got to stay tough; I never give up.”