Benson Connevey Bentley

Benson Connevey "Ben" Bentley went to be with his Lord on Sunday, August 10, 2008. Funeral services will be 10:00 AM on Saturday, August 16, 2008 at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, with Rev. Stan Allcorn and Rev. Jack Ridlehoover officiating and assisted by Brother H.B. Terry. Burial will follow at Elmwood Memorial Park in the Garden of Prayer. Pallbearers will be David Randall, Randy Langston, Harold Elledge, Jay Barbian, Rick DeFoore and Ed Myers. Honorary pallbearers will be the Deacon Body of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, August 15, 2008 at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road. Ben was born on September 21, 1920 in Midlothian, Texas, the only child of Luther Benson Bentley and Maggie Lee Connevey. He graduated from Waco High School in 1939. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on December 30, 1941, and served 3 years in Egypt, Malta and Sicily. After his discharge at the end of the war, Ben worked in civil aviation as a mechanic and a pilot. During this time, he met and fell in love with Mary Anne Bagwell of Waco. They were married on March 17, 1946. Ben and Anne had two sons, Frank Connevey Bentley and Ian James Bentley. Ben was recalled to active duty for the Korean Conflict, and remained on active duty until August 1, 1967. One of his most beloved tours of duty was the three years he and Anne spent in Scotland. When they returned to the United States, they were assigned to Dyess Air Force Base where he was stationed for 8 years until his retirement. Following his discharge from the Air Force, Ben began the Bentley Organ and Sound Service repairing organs and installing sound systems. Ben was a Mason and a member of the John Sayles Masonic Lodge. He was a member of the Key City Kiwanis Club. He was patriotic and civic-minded, and many organizations and individuals benefited from his generosity with both his time and his personal resources. Ben was a faithful servant of Jesus and an active member of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, where he was a deacon. Through the many trials and tragedies in his life, he leaned on the Lord to carry him through. Ben never met a stranger and his good humor and wit endeared him to all who knew him, He and Anne loved to travel and did so extensively in their retirement years, making friends wherever they went. Over the years they opened their home to many Hardin Simmons students, including international students, forging lifelong friendships. Ben was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 58 years, Anne, and their sons, Conn and Ian. He is survived by his grandson, Jason Bentley and wife, Destiny, of Allen, Texas, and three great-grandsons, Jordan, Jayden and Jackson and many dear friends. Remembrances may be made to Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, 701 South Pioneer, Abilene, Texas 79605 or to the Ben and Anne Bentley Endowed Scholarship in Ministerial Studies at Hardin Simmons University, 220 Hickory Street, Abilene TX 79601.