Ernie George Benda

A visitation will be held on Saturday15th at the Runge Mortuary Chapel from 2 pm until 4 pm. A prayer service will be conducted at 3 pm. Cremation rites will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may go to St. Croix Hospice.

Ernie was born to Charles and Mary (Balvin) Benda on October 5, 1937. He later moved to Tama, IA. He grew up with ten older siblings who all worked hard on the family farm. He attended a country school until the fourth grade. He then went to Montour School until he was a junior. He attended Tama High School his senior year participating in football, basketball, track and baseball. He even was Senior Class President! He ran in the Drake Relays, competing in the 200- meter dash. He graduated in 1957.

Through the year 1960, Ernie worked for Pioneer Seed Company in East Dubuque, IA, John Deere in Waterloo, Concrete Material and Construction in LeGrand, IA and Rath Sheep Farm in Waterloo.

He was drafted into the Army in 1960. He was stationed in Bordeaux, France as a cargo checker from November 1961 through August 1962. When the Cuban Missile Crisis came up in October 1962, Ernie went to King Bay on the Georgia/Florida border. He finished his military service on December 4, 1962.

Ernie then went to Cedar Rapids where he lived with his sister, Vera. He worked for a construction company before he started working at Wilsons/Farmstead in Cedar Rapids.

He married Nancy Norby and had three children: Mary, Tom and Paul. They divorced in 1967. He met Diana (LeMaster) Wall at Wilson’s and married her on June 12, 1971. Ernie became stepfather to Diana’s son, Matt Wall and they had a daughter, Kathryn. Ernie felt proud and lucky to have met and been married to Diana for 53 years until his death. He worked at Farmstead until it closed in 1990. He was then self-employed in lawn care until he retired.

Ernie was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan and enjoyed watching most sports. He loved playing golf and could say he had two hole-in-ones. He also loved playing horseshoes, bowling and frisbee golf. One of his greatest joys was playing Canasta and Pepper with his wife and family; especially with his sister and brother-in-law, Vera and Smitty Smith. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, father and grandfather and the “most easy-going, nicest guy you’d ever met.”

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Diana, daughters, Kathy O’Haver, of Bettendorf, and Mary (Mike) Grabe of Cedar Rapids; sons, Tom (Tammy) Benda, of Toddville, IA and Paul (Sally) Benda, of Cedar Rapids; 9 grandchildren, Khloe and Seth O’Haver, Hayley Warack and, Hannah and Heidi Supple, Eric, Matt and Brian Benda, and Sommer Benda and 5 great-grandchildren.

Preceding him in death are his parents, stepson, Matt Wall; brothers: Adolph, Milo, Ludwig, Emil, Vitus, Joseph, Lester, Leonard and sisters, Vera Smith and Leota Lamparke.

He will be deeply missed!