Until his last days, Bennet Cyrus was shouting at the Minnesota Vikings. Cyrus was usually a calm man, but when football came on, he unleashed his inner Viking — he would scream with the fans in the stadium and throw foam bricks at the TV.
The fervent fan and father of four died on Feb. 5 at age 70 of complications from lung cancer.
Like his team, Cyrus rooted for those around him. The charismatic entrepreneur and minority business leader was familiar with the hard work and sacrifice it takes to succeed so he mentored and lifted up those around him.
Cyrus left his home in Trivandrum, India, in 1968 to study computer programming at the University of Minnesota.
"He instilled in us that you are not born with anything," his daughter Zaneeta Best said. "You have to work for what you want."
While in college, Cyrus met Daniel Kaiyalethe. They would go on to share 46 years of friendship and meals. In college, they would cook up Indian dishes and invite the other international students over to dine. They had a standing engagement to eat out at a restaurant every Wednesday. The friends kept up the tradition until Cyrus' death.
Cyrus spent 14 years working as programmer for TCF Bank before he founded a multimillion-dollar corporate travel company, Metro Travel & Tours. Some of his clients included General Mills and Honeywell.
Cyrus quickly became a leader in the minority business community and won the 2013 Supplier of the Year award from the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council. He often gave back to the local Indian community and would help friends with financial advice and business guidance. Cyrus wanted to tell anyone willing to listen that the American dream was possible.
