He was born May 1, 1947 in Louisville, Kentucky to parents William Bensing & Thelma Hickey. David attended Flaget High School. Afterward, he began serving his nation with pride and honor, by enlisting in the United States Air Force on June 11, 1965. Throughout his enlistment and service during the Vietnam War, he served in many different capacities both home & abroad. He was a Communications Specialist tasked with Central Office Operating. He was proficient in telephone & telegraph communications serving with the 3rd Detachment of the 2046th Air Force Communications Service Group headquartered at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. While serving in Alaska, David was a member of the Air Force Casualty Assistance Program, providing next of kin notifications for military casualties from conflicts and events throughout the United States and abroad. For his honorable service, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal & the Air Force Good Conduct Medal.
David married the love of his life, Donna Herbig, on August 9, 1969 at St. Vincent de Paul in Louisville. David retired from the United States Postal Service as a Mail Carrier and Post Delivery Employee after 41 years of service. David was Catholic and a former member of Our Mother of Sorrows Church.
David was known as Twilight the clown where he showed his talent for creating balloon animals and making everyone smile—he was truly a kid at heart. He also loved Karaoke, crafting wooden names for all his family and friends, and had a great love of all toys. David had an everlasting passion for his grandchildren. He and Donna enjoyed watching every sporting event and also took his grandkids on numerous vacations. He enjoyed many hobbies such as coaching youth volleyball at Our Mother of Sorrow, he also refereed grade school volleyball and various leagues around town. David also enjoyed playing softball for the Post Office team. David was a diehard UK fan. And of course, he was best known for being Santa’s number one helper. He found no greater joy than making every child smile at Christmas. He genuinely loved the Christmas season all year round.
His father, William Bensing; stepfather, Bill Rice & stepsister, Mary Ellen Wilhelm precede David in his passing.
Left to cherish his unforgettable memory are his wife, Donna Bensing, children, Dana (Todd) Cahoe, Danielle (Donnie) Parrish & Dara Bensing; grandchildren, Jordain (Jordan “Buddy”) Phimmavong, Stephen Barger, Kyle Cahoe, Austin Parrish, Ty Cahoe, Madison Parrish, Makenna Cooper, and Reagan Bensing; his mother, Thelma Rice; siblings, Bonnie Eckert, Bill Rice, Tommy Bensing, Carolyn Strothman, Jodie Massey, John Rice, JoAnn Embry; many nieces & nephews; plus a host of other relatives and friends to mourn his passing.
In lieu of floral tributes & customary expressions of sympathy, Pawpaw’s family requests that you please bring an unwrapped toy to donate in David’s memory to Toys for Tots.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. in the Dignity Chapel of the Evergreen Funeral Home. Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 19, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. until the hour of service at 4:00 p.m. with additional visitation after conclusion of services, also at the Evergreen Funeral Home.
