Living

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
June 17, 1938
Page 4

On Friday afternoon, Billie BENKELMAN, Tommy JACKSON, and Joanne BIGELOW, all about nine years of age, thought it would be great fun to follow the Ford Caravan and ride their bikes from Cass City to Caro. Tommy and Joanne were picked up at Ellington and taken into Caro by auto, (not because they were tired, Tommy and Joanne say). Billie paddled on to Caro, but did not refuse a ride back to Cass City later in the day.

The STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, Volume 15, September 1, 1952, noted that William D. Benkelman was graduated from Michigan State College on June 10. It further reported that he his commission June 8 as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He was to report to Fort Sill, Oklahoma in August. Volume 16 of the same periodical noted he was stationed in Japan. The 1962 issue reported he had moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois, where he was Vice President and General Sales Manager of Cadillac Plastics.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, December 24, 1964

B. Benkelman Promoted by Plastics Company

William D. Benkelman has been named Vice-president (Sales) of Cadillac Plastic and Chemical Company. He had been distributor sales manager since 1958. Benkelman will coordinate the company's activities in the areas of overseas sales and development of the O.E.M. (original equipment manufacturer) market. He joined Cadillas Plastic in 1956 as director of factory-sales liasion at its Detroit headquarters. In 1957, he established the company's Cincinnati branch, then in 1962, was promoted to the Illinois branch, headquartered in Chicago. Benkelman is a graduate of Michigan State University and attended the University of Utah Law Schoo. He is the author of numerous articles and papers on plastics. He and his wife, Barbara, and their three children live at 6309 Church Street.

Obituary from THE SAGINAW NEWS

William D. Benkelman traveled around the world as a businessman, but he always said that his families centennial farm in this thumb community was his favorite place on earth. Benkelman, a retired plastics executive and onetime Bloomfield Hills resident died from Parkinson's disease at his Cass City home. He was 73. He was born in Royal Oak and graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelors degree in 1952. Benkelman was a captain in the U.S. Army and a veteran of the Korean War, where as a lieutenant he received a bronze star for meritorius service. His career in the plastics business began in 1958 when he joined the Cadillac Plastic and Chemical Company in Troy as a salesman assigned to generate new business for the startup company. Former colleagues describe him as a determined visionary who saw the enginering and manufacturing potential for plastics even while others argued it was nothing more than a cheap substitute for metal and glass. Benkelman became chairman of the company in 1984. When he retired in 1988, Cadillac was the worlds number one distributor of semi-finished plastic shapes. General Electric company owns it now. After retirement, Benkelman and his wife Barbara moved to Cass City to live on the farm that had remained in the family for 100 years. He renovated the old farmhouse into a comfortable home. Barbara Benkelman died in 1995. The funeral will begin at 2 pm Sunday in the Presbyterian church on Church Street in Cass City with burial at the Elkland Township Cemetery.

(Courtesy of Alvin Benkelman)

(Medical):Parkinson's Diease

William married Barbara Ell on 2 May 1952 in East Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan. Barbara was born on 17 May 1932 in Mineola, Nassau County, New York; died on 1 Feb 1995 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
Wednesday, February 8, 1995
Obituaries
Page Ten

Barbara Benkelman

Barbara Ell Benkelman, 62, of Cass City, formerly of Bloomfield Hills, died Wednesday, Feb. 1, in her home after a long illness.

She was born May 17, 1932, in Miniola, N.Y., daughter of Thomas and Viola (Miner) ELL.

She married William D. Benkelman May 2, 1952, in East Lansing.

Mrs. Benkelman volunteered many hours in various medical and hospital settings.

Surviving are her husband, William, 2 son, Jefrey and his wife, Marilyn, of North Palm Beach, Fla., and James and his wife, Susan, of Breckenridge, Colo.; a daughter, Cynthia RYERSON and her husband, Anthony, of Vail, Colo.; 6 grandchildren, and a brother, Thomas Ell and his wife Lynn, of Fort Pierce, Fla.

Funeral services were held Saturday in the First Presbyterian Church, Cass City, with the Rev. Ellen Rutherford of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Bad Axe, and the Rev. David Smith of the First Presbyterian Church, Cass City, officiating.

Memorials may be made to the Barbara Benkelman Hospice Endowment Fund, Thumb National Bank, 6522 Main St., Cass City, c/o Curt Strickland.

Interment will take place in the spring in Elkland Township Cemetery.

Little & Kranz Funeral Home handled arrangements.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007)

Notes:

Ben Benkelman reported that after seing a production of Uncle Tom's Cabin, his brother, Harold, was nicknamed "Sime" by his siblings, who considered him as mean as Simon Legree. The January 17, 1908 Cass City Chronicle had a brief mention of the upcoming "Mason Brother's Uncle Tom's Cabin company at the Opera House," most likely this was the production that inspired Sime's lifelong nickname. Harold would have been around age 11 at the time. He played basketball in High School.

Bob Benkelman wrote that his father was drafted into the army signal corps, where he worked as an airplane mechanic, and was stationed at Rockwell Field near San Diego. According to Wikipedia, the Signal Corps Aviation School was named Rockwell Field, on July 20, 1917, in honor of Second Lt. Lewis C. Rockwell, killed in a crash at College Park in 1912. Also in July, the United States Congress authorized the President to proceed with the taking of North Island for Army and Navy aviation schools. There was a need for trained military pilots as the United States had entered World War I earlier in the year. President Woodrow Wilson signed an Executive Order in August 1917 for condemnation of the land, which was still privately owned. The Army turned over the north end of the island to the Navy and relocated to the south end of North Island, the location of the Rockwell Field Historic District. The Navy's first occupancy of North Island occurred on September 8, 1917, but Congress did not authorize the purchase of North Island, for $6,098,333, until July 1919. The Army selected well-known Detroit industrial architect, Albert Kahn, to develop a site and building designs. Permanent construction of Kahn's design began in mid-1918. During World War I, Rockwell Field provided training for many of the pilots and crews sent to France. It also was the source of men and aircraft for the Sixth and Seventh Aero Squadrons, which established the first military aviation presence in Hawaii and the Panama Canal Zone, respectively.

After his military service, Sime was a Studebaker dealer, and later worked for E.B. Schwaderer, a contractor who built highways throughout the state, and constructed airports all over the midwest during World War II. Before retirement, Harold, worked as head of maintenance of all of the road equipment for the Tuscola County Road Commission.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, November 24, 1933
Local Happenings
Page Four

Mr. and Mrs. Harold Benkelman and Mrs. Curtis Hung spent a few days last week hunting at Fairview.

The 1941 issue of the Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast showed that Mr. and Mrs. H.L. Benkelman and sons had spent the winter holidays in Florida.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, April 16, 1981

Benkelman Funeral Held

Harold Leroy (Sime) Benkelman, 83, of Cass City died Wednesday, April 8, at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac.

He was born Nov. 27, 1897, in St. Francis, Kansas, the son of Benjamin F. and Minnie (Jesse) Benkelman. He returned to Cass City as a small child with his parents. They made their home on the family homestead farm.

He married Isabel Fletcher Sept. 14, 1918 in Detroit. Following their marriage, they made their home in Sandusky where he was an auto dealer. They later lived in Cass City, where he was employed as equipment supervisor by the E.B. Schwaderer Construction Company and then Tuscola County Road Commission until his retirement.

He servied with the Army Air Corps during World War I. He was a member of the Salem United Methodist church of Cass City and a life member of Custer Lodge No. 393, F and AM, Sandusky.

Benkelman is survived by his wife; two sons, Bill Benkelman of Bloomfield Hills and Robert Benkelman of Caro; six grandchildren, three great grandchildren; one brother, Benjamin Benkelman of Clearwater, Fla. (sic) and two sisters, Mrs. Eustis Ball of Clearwater, and Mrs. Lois Pease of Pompano Beach, Fla. One sister, Ruth, preceded him in death.

Funeral services were conducted Friday afternoon at Little's Funeral Home, Cass City, with Rev. Eldred Kelley of the Salem United Methodist church officiating.

Burial was in Elkland Cemetery.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007)

He was one the family members BonnieMargaret Jacobs personally interviewed when preparing her history of the Benkelman family.

Harold married Isabel Lizzie Fletcher on 14 Sep 1918 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. Isabel (daughter of Archibald Fletcher and Isabelle Patterson) was born on 25 Oct 1895 in Bad Axe, Huron County, Michigan; died on 3 Nov 1993 in Caro, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Bob Benkelman wrote that his mother Isabel "was the daughter of Captain Archie Fletcher, a Great Lakes ship's captain & Isabelle Patterson, a beautiful , yet neurotic Canadian. Isabel's life was completely entwined with that of her identical twin, who died at the age of three."

Cass City Chronicle
Wednesday, November 10, 1993
Page Eight

Isabel Benkelman

Mrs. Isabel Benkelman, 98, of Cass City, died Nov. 3 at the Caro Community Hospital.

Isabel Fletcher was born Oct. 25, 1895 in Huron County. She married Harold L. Benkelman in 1918. He predeceased her in 1981.

She is survived by 2 sons, William and wife Barbara of Cass City, and Robert and wife Lorraine of Caro; 6 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Cremation has taken place. Interment will be in the Elkland Cemetery, Cass City.

Expressions of rememberance may be made to the Tuscola County Medical Care Facility where Mrs. Benkelman had been a resident for several years.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007)

Notes:

Married:
Cass City Chronicle
Vol. 14, No. 22.
Friday, September 27, 1918

Fletcher-Benkelman

Miss Isabelle Fletcher, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Fletcher of Bad Axe and Harold Benkelman, elder son of Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Benkelman, were united in marriage Saturday evening, Sept. 14, by Rev. Henderson, formerly a pastor of the bride. The ceremony took place at the Presbyterian manse on Grand River avenue in Detroit. Following the ceremony the bridal couple were entertained at dinner at the Hotel Statier by Mr. and Mrs. Russell Newbold, of Philadelphia, cousins of the bride.

Mr. and Mrs. Benkelman arrived in Cass City on Tuesday after visiting with relatives and friends in Detroit and other cities. \\

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore, Strong, Summer 2007)