Arthur Charles Bender

Arthur Charles Bender, born in Cincinnati, OH, passed away on January 13, 2026 in Charlotte after a year of treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). He will be remembered for his love for family, his delight in telling stories, and sharing his passion for Cincinnati sports and cuisine. At every stage of his life he connected with people who became forever friends.

The youngest of four children, Art grew up in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati, where he lived across the street from his five cousins. This close-knit neighborhood experience helped develop his independent spirit and problem-solving skills. Early examples include walking to the bakery to order a doughnut on his mother’s account; getting tickets on his own to the 1961 World Series at Crosley Field; and acting as a 14-year old valet, parking cars during his older sister’s wedding reception.

His experience as a member of the class of 1969 at St. Xavier High School created cherished bonds and allowed him to find a fellow Bomber wherever he traveled in the world. After years of telling a fantastical story of the Yardbirds playing his junior prom, he was validated when the story was retold in The New Yorker last year. He treasured joining St. X. alumni at both the official and non-sanctioned reunions. The summer before his sophomore year of high school, the Clifton Skyline opened. He ate at the restaurant the first night it opened, and then returned daily for 19 days.

Art graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a B.A. in American Studies, and made close friends with his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers serving as rush chair. His summers were filled with adventures as a cabana boy at a resort in Long Island, hitchhiking to California, and working at a Cincinnati rebar factory.

At Miami, he also met the love of his life, Kaye Kennedy, in a chance encounter through a blind date when a fraternity brother had to cancel on Kaye from the fraternity house lobby phone. Still date-less for Homecoming, Art took Kaye to the game, and they proceeded to date for the next four years. They married on the day of Kaye’s college graduation and celebrated 50 years of marriage last year.

As Art was promoted during his 40-year career with Owens Corning, Art and Kaye raised their two daughters, Elizabeth and Katie, in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Pittsburgh, before settling in Charlotte in 1987. In Pittsburgh, Art made cherished friends at Long Vue Club that he stayed in close contact with for the next four decades. Even after moving to Charlotte, Art coordinated annual vacations reuniting families each summer where he adopted his alter ego, Spuds MacKenzie. His visor would get flipped upside down and the real party animal emerged declaring that there should be “no bored kids shuffling cards” while on vacation.

In Charlotte, Art added yet another group of close friends, first in Park Crossing and then in Ballantyne. He cherished his Saturday morning golf group at Ballantyne Country Club, the Bushwhackers, and took the job of repairing all divots on the course seriously. He was delighted to have three career holes-in-one, one of them occurring right before he was diagnosed with AML.

After he retired from Owens Corning, Art took his retirement life just as seriously as he had taken his career. He loved traveling with friends from all parts of his life but seemingly enjoyed meticulously planning those trips even more. Whether it was motivating everyone to walk to the beach in time to enjoy the sunsets in Siesta Key, sneaking his girls into the men’s bathroom at the Madonna Inn to see the rock waterfall urinal, or wearing pig noses with friends in Turks and Caicos, he always knew how to turn a good vacation into a great one.

He loved hosting friends and family and was sure that the best job to have at a party was as the bartender because it ensured you talked to every person in attendance. If you requested a specific drink, he memorized it and served it to you that way forever. He had strong opinions on the “best” ways to enjoy things in life, whether it was a brand of e-bike (RAD), when to eat a tangerine (every evening with 100% of the pith removed), how to cook a steak sandwich (sauteed leftover flank steak in butter with grilled onions and peppers), or how to plan a group vacation (do your research, voice your opinion, or don’t complain). He didn’t want to be the person in the spotlight - he excelled at creating situations that allowed others to shine, then carefully observed the moment so he could remind you about it - in detail - years later.

Retirement also allowed him more time as a beloved grandfather to his six grandchildren. Known as both Grumpy and Pop-Pop, Art changed diapers, waited for his granddaughter at the bus stop, took the grandkids to theme parks, and attended hundreds of games, concerts, and theatre performances.

After his AML diagnosis, he took his treatment just as seriously as the rest of his life. With the support of Kaye, he underwent a year of chemotherapy at Levine Cancer Institute under the care of Dr. Nilay Shah. The family is grateful for Dr. Shah’s care, enabling Art to visit friends and family in Cincinnati; Lake Martin, AL; Wild Dunes; and take his family to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park in celebration of Kaye and Art’s 50th wedding anniversary. In the last weeks of his life, Art celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and his 75th birthday with family. He also visited and called dozens of friends who he loved as a brother “without getting too involved with the mushy stuff.”

Art is survived by his wife, Kaye Bender; children, Elizabeth Read (Noah) of Burlington, NC and Katie Ferguson (Rob) of Winston Salem, NC; and grandchildren Henry, Charles, and Isaac Read, and Emmy, Winn, and Cliff Ferguson. He is also survived by his brothers Jim and Bill Bender; brothers and sisters-in-laws Georgeanne Bender, Chip and Carol Kennedy, Janet and Winn Kelley, and Curt and Janie Kennedy; as well as numerous nieces and nephews who fondly knew him as “Uncle R.D. let’s have a party.” He was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Eleanore Bender, his sister, Lois Berwanger, and brother-in-law Bill Berwanger.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to The Arthur C. and Eleanore T. Bender Memorial Scholarship at St. Xavier High School, 600 West North Bend Rd, Cincinnati 45224, or online at stxavier.org/support-st-x/giving/make-a-gift.

A Mass of Christian Burial to celebrate his life will be held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 10:45 am in the chapel at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte, NC 28277.