Adele S Bendel

Adele Bessie Slama Bendel was born in Cameron, Texas on January 20, 1921, the fourth daughter of Laurence Frank Slama and Anna Berndt Slama. She graduated third in her class at C. H. Yoe High School and was immediately was offered a job as bookkeeper for a prominent local Estate. Then, in the summer of 1941, it was apparent that the US would soon be involved in World War II, and they were hiring secretaries in Washington DC. Adele went to Waco to take a Civil Service test, passed it, and went to work at the newly-formed U. S. Board of Economic Warfare. She later transferred to the Department of State, where she worked until 1956.

She had many interesting experiences during her years at State, including serving as a secretary to the U.S. Delegation at the Council of Foreign Ministers Conference in London in 1947; being on President Dwight Eisenhower's secretarial staff with the U.S. Delegation at the Heads of Government meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in 1955 (a four month conference with the foreign ministers of England, Germany, France and the U.S.) ; and working as one of two secretaries to John Foster Dulles, Special Representative of the President (and later Secretary of State), on the final draft of the Japanese Peace Treaty in the summer of 1951. She later worked in the National Security Council of the Department of State.

While in Washington, she was a member of the choir at Luther Place Memorial Church, and joined the Young Adult Fellowship there. That was where she met Dr. Warren Lee Bendel, and they were married on April 7, 1956. After their daughter Kathy was born, Adele retired to become a housewife and volunteer. She served as co-librarian at Kathy's elementary, worked in the dyslexia program at another school, and as also a Girl Scout leader.. She was also Sunday School teacher, Sunday School Superintendent, Vacation Church School director, Circle Member and choir member at various times in her churches: Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington D.C., Faith Lutheran Church in Oxon Hill, Maryland and Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas.

Adele enjoyed many bridge groups in Maryland, San Antonio and Kingwood. She loved gardening, bird watching and reading. Adele and Warren took many wonderful trips, sightseeing in all 50 states. While usually they traveled by car, they also visited Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, England and Scotland. But mostly they enjoyed our national parks - Adele's favorite spot was hiking at Tenaya Lake, high in the Sierras of Yosemite National Park, where she said "the Lord went on vacation when He had the time".

Adele and Warren Bendel were married for 59 years, until Warren's death in May 2015. Adele is survived by daughter Kathy and her husband Terry Ciliske of Kingwood Texas and three grandsons: Captain Charles Warren Ciliske and wife Colleen of Houston, Texas, Daniel Eric Ciliske of Seattle, Washington, and Steven Lawrence Ciliske of Houston, Texas.

After a memorial service at Holy Comforter Lutheran Church, Kingwood Texas on December 23, 2015, Adele will be laid to rest next to her husband in her hometown of Cameron, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Holy Comforter Lutheran Church.