Obituary of Kenneth F Bender

Delhi lost another giant of the Greatest Generation when Ken Bender, of 4 Delview Terrace, Delhi, died from a sudden heart attack while sitting in his son’s car in his driveway early Friday afternoon. Ken was born on February 21, 1923, the eldest of seven children born to Leonard and Vera Bender of Rensselaer, New York. As the oldest son in a working class family, Ken worked at a variety of jobs as a youth (including manually setting pins at a local bowling alley) to help support the family during the depression. With the coming of war, Ken enlisted in the Army after being rejected from the Navy due to his color blindness. He served in World War II as a Master Sergeant in the Army, stationed in the Philippines. Following the war he attended Brockport University, where he met the love of his life, Betty Jean Housel, whom he married shortly after their graduation in June of 1948. Ken and Betty settled in Grand Gorge that year, where they worked in the Grand Gorge, Roxbury and Jefferson school districts. During those years they had 2 children, Barbara and Kenny. In 1966 the family moved to Delhi, where Ken became well known in the community while working as a Guidance Counselor at Delaware Academy, before accepting a position as Principal of Mynderse Academy in Seneca Falls. After 2 years commuting to Seneca Falls, Ken returned to Delhi, where he accepted a position that would become the Director of Placement at SUNY Delhi. He retired in 1983. The following year Ken and Betty began spending winters in Florida. Ken and Betty were fortunate enough to enjoy a lengthy retirement until Betty’s passing in November of 2018. Both were avid golfers and regular fixtures at the Delhi College Golf Club, where they had a huge number of very close friends. Ken was always an outdoorsman, taking his family on numerous camping trips during his children’s formative years. While camping Ken would often supply the main course of dinner with the fish he caught. We still remember the delicious cutthroat trout he caught on a family trip in 1964 to Yellowstone and all of the other great national parks of the west. Ken discovered skiing and golf in the early 1950s. He was a National Ski Patrol Trainer at Plattekill, Belleayre and Scotch Valley. He learned to play golf at Stamford and Roxbury, but it wasn’t until he became a member at the Delhi College Golf Course that he became fervent about the game. Both he and Betty became so passionate about golf that they would ultimately buy their winter home just off the ninth green at an Englewood, FL course. After his retirement, Ken discovered another hidden talent. He became an artist, painting the numerous framed pictures that adorned the walls of his homes in Englewood and Delhi. Ken and Betty loved to entertain and be entertained. In both Florida and New York they were part of a large group of friends who would meet regularly for dinner and other activities. Of all that Ken was passionate about, his greatest passion and source of pride was always his family. Ken is survived by his two children, Barbara LaCorte of Santa Barbara, CA, and Kenneth Bender of Delhi. Barbara’s daughter, Dr. Lindsay LaCorte Smith of Hyannis, MA, married to Seth Smith, with two children, Cameron and Jameson. Kenny’s son Max is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh. A celebration of Ken’s life and a time of sharing is planned at the Delhi College Golf Course at a date to be determined Contributions in memory of Ken may be made to The O’Conner Hospital in Delhi. Please visit www.hallandpeet.com to share a condolence with the Bender Family.