William Benton

William M. Benton "Bill", age 95, lifelong resident of Lorain County and Georgetown, Texas since 2014 passed away on March 7, 2019 at The Wesleyan at Scenic in Georgetown, Texas after a short illness. He was born on July 24, 1923 in LaGrange, Ohio to Irven and Linda Benton. Bill played sports and the trumpet at Belden High School before graduating in 1941. He entered the Army in World War II in 1943 and was assigned to the 8th Armored Division, 775th Tank Battalion in the Philippines earning Decorations and Citations to include American Theater Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with 2 bronze stars, Philippine Liberation Medal with 1 bronze star, the World War II Victory Medal, and was honorably discharged in 1946.

Bill married Doris Stegman on March 22, 1947 and is survived by three children; Janice Boak (Cliff), Georgetown Texas, Robert Benton Richfield Ohio, and Rodney Benton (Patti) Gilbert, Arizona. Grandchildren Brian Webster (Lisa), David Webster (Hana), Debbie Perry (Brian), Paul Benton, Laura Serwatka (Lenny), Michael Benton (Rachel), Andrew Gulla (Claudia), and 8 Great Grandchildren. Bill is preceded in death by his parents Irven and Linda Benton; wife Doris of 65 years, brother Clarence Benton, sister Evelyn Benton, and 3 granddaughters.

He retired from Johnson Controls in Elyria, Ohio after 38 years and after work found time to build two homes, umpired high school baseball for 15 years and a North Ridgeville Hot Stove volunteer umpire for 22 years. He was a charter member of the North Ridgeville VFW and was inducted into the Ohio Hot Stove Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. For health reasons Bill moved to Georgetown, Texas in 2014 to be closer to daughter Janice.

Our Dad was our everything. A very fair man who led by example, he loved being around family, celebrating birthdays, and watching Cleveland sports. He wore his WWII Veteran hat proudly whenever he left the house and was extremely touched when strangers would approach him and thanked him for his service. He would always respond emotionally by saying he was one of the lucky ones.

Visitation will be at the Duke Funeral Home 1021 Main St. Grafton on Friday, March 15th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and one hour prior to his funeral at 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 16th.

Memorial contributions may be made to Williamson County Texas Meals on Wheels program.

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