Dr. Joseph Benitez, Jr., PharmD

Dr. Joseph “Joe” Benitez, Jr., PharmD, of Carmel, Indiana, passed away peacefully at home on September 7, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family. He was born on December 9, 1946, in Los Angeles, California, to parents, the late Joseph Benitez, Sr. and Gloria (Navarro) Mungia. Joe married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Kathleen (Mazzie) on December 28, 1968. Together, they shared 57 wonderful years of marriage.

Growing up in California, Joe attended Cantwell High School and dreamed of attending the University of Southern California. With a strong work ethic, determination to achieve his goals, and the unwavering support of his parents, Dr. Joe earned his PharmD in Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Studies from USC in 1973.

His love for USC continued throughout his life. He served as student body president of the School of Pharmacy, was an active member of his fraternity, Phi Delta Chi, and received various awards. He served as President of the USC Alumni Association (California and Indiana), President of the USC Associates, and a proud lifelong Trojan football fan. Fight On! Most recently, Joe attended his 50th reunion at USC, surrounded by many of his cherished classmates, family, and friends.

Joe had a meaningful and successful 27-year career at Eli Lilly & Company, where he was known for his trailblazing innovation, strong leadership, sharp sense of style, and ability to make lasting, trustworthy connections with his colleagues and customers. His career took him across many specialties and functions before he retired from the Long-Term Care Division. Throughout his career, Joe built lasting friendships and a profound legacy, while creating wonderful adventures for his family in California, Indianapolis, Mexico City, Cincinnati, and Carmel, Indiana where he eventually retired. During his Lilly career, he furthered his education, earning an Executive Degree from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, in 1990.

Beyond his love of all genres of music and dancing, Joe had many hobbies and talents that brought him joy before and after retirement. But his greatest passion was his family and friends. He made a point of visiting them in their homes across the country, hosting unforgettable tailgates for USC, IU and Wabash, and enthusiastically cheering on his grandchildren in all their activities.

Joe loved bringing people together, sharing stories and laughter, and making his famous margaritas. He welcomed any challenge the family brought his way, whether it was fixing something that needed repair or constructing fun creations for his grandkids. He proudly achieved a Hole-in-One in 2011 and restored a 1991 Porsche that won Best in Class for its category in 2019.

Joe brought life to a party, and his door was always open to family, friends, and neighbors. His backyards and downstairs bars throughout the years were legendary for impromptu gatherings. Friends and family lovingly called him Jose, Dr. Joe, Tio, Uncle Joe, Nino, Dad, Mr. Beanie, Mr. Tez, Joey, Papa, or Papa Joe. His bright smile, contagious laughter, unconditional love, immense generosity, prominent presence, along with his strong hugs, will be deeply missed by all near and far.

Joe is survived by his loving wife, Kathleen; his children, Jennifer (Will), Greg (Amy), Michelle (Matt); and grandchildren, Greg, Olivia, Nina, Reesa, and Cruz, who affectionately knew him as “Papa.”

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Gloria, and sister, Marie (Krondak).

We want to thank all of his care team for the respect, dignity, and true compassion they showed.

Visitation for Joe will be October 16, from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Catholic Church, 14598 Oak Ridge Road, Carmel, IN 46032, with a funeral mass immediately following at 12:30 pm.

Memorial contributions may be made, in his name, to the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences student scholarship funds: USC-Mann-Student Scholarship Fund.  (Lilly Matching Gift program: Employee Giving).