George Benko

Services for Mr. Benko will be held on Monday, May 18, 2015 at 10:30 AM at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Temple, officiated by Father John Ballard. Burial with Military Honors will be held at 2 PM at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.

George was born December 14, 1923 in Pueblo, Colorado to Nicholas and Anne Benko.

In 1942, at the age of 18, George entered the US Maritime Service and trained at the USMS Radio School to be a radio officer in the Merchant Marines and began the difficult life at sea in wartime.

After the war was over and his term as a merchant marine was up, he returned to Colorado where he studied electrical engineering in college; later electing to work in the insurance and finance fields.

In 1962, George left shore side employment and returned to seafaring as a civilian radio operator for the Navy Military Transport Service. George spent many years in commercial shipping, sailing mainly on Lykes Brothers SS Company ships. He traveled to more than 65 countries during his career. George retired from the sea in 1985 and took up residence in St. Petersburg, Florida. While there, he met Barbara Gampe and the two were married at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in 1992.

In his retirement George was able to practice his culinary passion, cooking his favorite dishes from Louisiana and the foreign countries he had traveled to. George also loved fixing things- he always had tools in hand to help with maintenance of his churches and senior center. George enjoyed gardening, once winning a garden award for yard care at his church in St. Petersburg.

George and Barbara have enjoyed the past 9 years in Texas with friends and family. Mr. Benko was a member of St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Waco.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Michael and Andrew, and sister Christine.

Survivors include his wife Barbara, Barbara’s children, brothers Nicholas, Theodore, and Albert, and sister Elsie, as well as a number of nieces and nephews.

George will be sorely missed and was loved so much for his generous and caring ways.