Guy Durrell Bender

Services will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Orchard Mesa Cemetery.

He was a lieutenant colonel.

He is survived by two daughters, Sharyl B. Peterson and Cindy L. Hays, both of Grand Junction; one sister, Ormarell Gilbert of Fairfield, Connecticut; two grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions to the Glade Park Fire Department, 16400 DS Road, Glade Park 81523.

Guy D. Bender

1922 - 2016

Dad (Grandpa, Great-grandpa) was born in Minneapolis to Guy and Ruby Bender, into what would become a family of three sisters and a brother. He quickly became the family protector and hero.

Like many during the Depression, their childhood was often a struggle. The family moved to Florida, where his dad opened a filling-station that also sold his mom's home-made pies, and where our Dad took on his first job. He continued to work with his father and brother in family businesses until he enlisted in the Air Force in 1940.

He proudly served our country in three wars: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. As a fighter-pilot, he flew Mustangs and P-51s, receiving several medals for meritorious service. Later, as an aircraft maintenance officer, he helped set up and manage several large Air Force squadrons in Southeast Asia. Dad was a true patriot.

He met Marian Yoder, a beautiful student nurse, when he returned from WWII. They married in 1949, and had two daughters. Our Mom often ""held down the home-front"" while Dad was away for military service.

Dad and Mom loved to travel. They made our frequent military-related family relocations special by always adding a trip to places like Yellowstone (Dad's favorite), the Grand Canyon (Mom's favorite), and other special places of interest. Dad loved to make up funny stories about historical sites and characters, which we kids of course believed. Family trips were filled with stories, songs (will we ever forget ""Granada"" or ""Danny Boy""), and adventures.

He retired from the Air Force as a Lt. Col. in 1970. He didn't believe in boredom, so he took up another career as a realtor and small business owner, which he pursued for several more years. We continued to enjoy trips in the family-camper. For the past 40 years, Mom and Dad loved camping and fishing at Blue Mesa Reservoir. In her last years, Dad took loving care of Mom, as Alzheimer's took her away from us.

Dad was a man of great integrity and honor, and proud of his family. He taught us all the importance of hard work and caring for family. He will be greatly missed by those of us who remain here for awhile, his daughters, Sharyl Peterson (Bob) and Cindy (Randy) Hays; grandchildren, Summer and David; six great-grandchildren, and his sister, Ormarell.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 5 at City Cemetery, Pastor Dan Wilkie presiding.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Glade Park Fire Dept. or the V.A. are welcome.

Published in The Daily Sentinel on Nov. 4, 2016