Salvadore "Sam" Benestante

Preceded in death by his wife, Rosalie Bonno Benestante; his parents, Pasquale Benestante and wife Carmela Scarfogliere, Sisters, Josephine Oddo and Mary Montalbano; Brothers, Michael, Nat, Philip "Babe", Arthur "Otto", Albert, Ed, Ernest, and son in law Dean Schmitz.

He is survived by daughters, Patricia and husband Sam Bravenec, Rose Schmitz, and Gina Benestante and husband David Heidemann, and Son Michael Benestante and wife Natalie; Granddaughters Brooke and husband Casey Curry, Grace Benestante and Step-Granddaughter Gretchen; Great Grandson, Aidan Curry; Brother, Raymond and wife Billie, and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends and colleagues.

Sam Benestante was a warrior. He lived boldly and unapologetically. He embodied a wisdom that cannot be taught and had a personality that was truly legendary. His commanding presence and ironclad handshake are the first observations any novice outsider would note. Upon closer inspection, one would quickly realize that his seemingly impenetrable exterior was merely a protective veneer, paving the way to an incredibly dynamic soul. He was steadfast in his love for family. He taught us that loyalty is a way of life, and life is meaningless without our families. Sam was raised during the depression and was a frugal man, but never frugal in his compassion and generosity. When it came to helping a loved one or even strangers facing hardship, he would stop short of nothing, even putting a roof over someone's head.

He was a revolutionary, always ahead of his time and not easily held captive by the social and political norms of his generation; he was a great thinker and a lover of knowledge and believer in education.He was a pioneer, a pillar of our community and a mentor to many. He was a wearer of many hats, and he wore them all so well.

Born in New Orleans in 1925 his family moved to Houston, Texas and settled in The Cottage Grove area. As a young boy, Sam helped sell vegetables with his Mother and was a paperboy for many years. He valued hard work and aspired from a young age to provide for his family. At the age of sixteen, Sam joined the United States Navy where he served 1942-1947 as an aviation electrician .

He attended University of Kansas and studied electrical engineering and received his certification.

After leaving the Navy, Sam met and fell in love with the love of his life Rosalie Bonno, they were married April 24, 1949.

Sam was employed by Crumpacker Distrubiting from 1948 until it was later acquired by Philco Ford in 1959. He remained a lifetime employee with Ford until retirement.

Sam had high respect for the value of real estate acquisitions, a tradition established and instilled in him, by his immigrant parents. He enjoyed acquiring real estate as well as developing it.

His pride and joy was the shopping center he built on his own land with his son Michael as his general contractor. He had many rental properties and preformed all the maintenance personally.

Sam was a founding member of the Harris County Senior Citizen Softball League where he was active for over thirty years, traveling to play in Hawaii, Las Vegas, and North Carolina, in tournaments over the years as well as playing in the Astrodome annually. Sam played ball 3 times a week until 2011.

Sam was an active member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church for over 45 years, he could often be seen at the 7 a.m. Mass serving as an usher. He was involved in the church bazaar and BBQ for many years while his children attended school there. He was also a Eucharistic minister and served on many projects for the church over the years.

Sam was a familiar face at the Bellaire Coffee Shop and a honored member of their "Breakfast Club". It was his first stop of the day and the fellowship meant just as much as the food.

Sam served on the Board of Directors for Westbound Bank, it was one of his key interests over the last several years.

He could fix or repair just about anything especially if it was electrical, he was a wizard with a volt meter, his diagnostic tool of choice.

He loved family dinners and good food, Sunday pasta was always his favorite.

A Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 PM with a Rosary recited at 7:00 PM, Thursday, September 18, 2014 at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home, 6700 Ferris St. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 1:00 PM, Friday, September 19, 2014 at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 6921 Chetwood Dr. Houston, TX 77081 (713)668-0463. The Rite of Committal will follow at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer with a reception dinner immediately following at the Original Carrabbas, 3115 Kirby Dr. Houston, TX 77098. The Pallbearers will be Johnny Benestante, Mike Benestante, Ray Benestante Jr., Ray Burke, Matt Chiara, Bill Goren, Bryan Porter. Honorary pallbearer Bennie Oddo.

Sam, and our entire family would like to acknowledge the faithful, tireless dedication of Mercedes Estrada. Mercedes, came into Sam's life last year as his Caretaker but, quickly became a companion, a true friend and an integral part of his life and our family. Mercedes is without a doubt a blessing who made Sam's last year more comfortable while showering him with respect and love, for this we are have the deepest gratitude.

We wish to express our overwhelming gratitude to our MD Anderson family, especially Dr. Tapan Kadia and his Leukemia Team. Without you we would have never made it this far.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Sam to, MD Anderson Cancer Center, or The MDS Foundation