Wilhelmina "Minnie" Johanna Friederika Jesse

Notes:

An undated clipping (circa 1955) from the BAY CITY TIMES about Minnie reads:

WOMAN, 90, PAINTS AS HOBBY

Cass City--Although she will celebrate her 90th birthday anniversary next month, Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, of Cass City (above) is deeply engrossed in a new hobby. She has taken up painting as a pastime and finds it a happy way to keep busy. Like the famed Grandma Moses, Mrs. Benkelman waited a long time to begin painting. She started when she was 87 years old. A busy woman all of her life, Mrs. Benkelman says she finds it hard to just sit still. She balked a little over attempting her first painting but her interest quickened with her first picture and now she is at her easel each morning. She rests in the afternoon. Her hobby resulted because of a present from her daughter, Mrs. J.E. Pease of LaGrange, Ill. Mrs. Pease presented her mother with a painting set which included a canvas blocked off in numbered areas and paints numbered for each section. She delayed getting started but once the project was underway she found it enjoyable. That was two years ago. And it was also her last numbered painting. Since then she has been composing her own pictures and has turned out some 25 canvases. She won't sell a painting but she will give them away. Most have been claimed by her family and friends. She has a few hanging at home. Her painting she says is entirely for her own enjoyment. Her easel is set up on a card table in her living room and she paints while sitting down. She says she gets her ideas from photographs and magazine pictures. Using the basic idea, she then develops her own picture. She recalls that as a youngster she tried painting but did not pursue it since her folks thought it a waste of time. She also recalls that she liked to draw pictures when she was a school girl. For her paintings she likes outdoor scenes best. Mrs. Benkelman will celebrate her 90th birthday anniversary on Sept. 27. She was born on a farm near Sturgis and lived in Kansas for 10 years before coming to Cass City in 1902. Her husband's parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Adam Benkelman were among the pioneer settlers of Cass City. Her husband, a retired general store operator, died three years ago. Her two sons and three daughters are all planning to be with her for her approaching birthday celebration. They are Mrs. E.T. Ball of Pottersville, N.J.; Mrs. May Carpenter of Farwell; Mrs. Pease; and H.L. Benkelman and B.F. Benkelman, both of Cass City.

Great granddaughter Melinda McLemore Strong has an 8 by 10 oil painting of a lakeside pasture in her home in San Antonio, Texas. (2003).

A similar article appeared in the Cass City Chronicle, as follows:

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, May 7, 1954
Volume 49, Number 2
Page One

Judging by the amount of beautiful paintings, afghans and other works she turns out, Mrs. Ben Benkelman, Sr., 88, accomplished more than many persons half her age.

For example, in the last year, Mrs. Benkelman has knitted an intricately designed tablecloth, several small items, painted the picture shown above and another larger picture that is framed and hanges on the wall in her home.

In addition, she writes regularly each week to her three daughters, Mrs. Ruth Ball, New Jersey, Mrs. Lois Pease, Illinois and Mrs. Mae Carpenter, Michigan.

She writes and signs all her own checks and keeps continually busy on her varied projects.

Minnie's obituary, also in the Cass City Chronicle, dated Thursday, June 22, 1961:

Minnie Benkelman Dies at 95

Cass City lost one of its eldest citizens June 18 with the death of Mrs. Minnie Benkelman, 95, in Stevens Nursing Home. Mrs. Benkelman had been ill for some time. She was a patient in the nursing home for several weeks.

She was born Wilhelmina JESSE in Sturgis, Sept. 24, 1865 and married Benjamin F. BENKELMAN in St. Francis, Kansas in 1892. They came to Cass City in 1901, lived at 1454 Maple Street and remained here until their deaths.

Mr. Benkelman ran a general store until his retirement in 1924. He died in 1952.

Surviving are three daughters and two sons: Mrs. E.T. BALL (Ruth) of Pottersville, N.J.; Mrs. Wilmot CARPENTER (Mae) of Farwell; Mrs. J.E. PEASE (Lois) of LaGrange, Ill,; Harold and Ben of Cass City. Other survivors are four grandchildren and nine-great grandchildren and one sister, Mrs. Augusta BUCHOLTZ of Sturgis.

Funeral services were held Wed. at 2 p.m. in the Douglas Funeral Home. Rev. S.R. Wurtz of Salem E.U.B. church, of which Mrs. Benkelman was a long time member, officiated and burial was in Elkland cemetery.

Wilhelmina married Benjamin Franklin Benkelman, Sr. on 26 Dec 1892 in St. Francis, Cheyenne County, Kansas. Benjamin (son of Johann Adam Benkelman and Anna Catharina Schaufele) was born on 24 Sep 1863 in Bowmansville, Town of Lancaster, Erie County, New York; died on 7 Sep 1952 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Attended college at Mt. Pleasant Normal (now Central Michigan) and was a teacher. Met her husband at a church social in Berwyn, Illinois.

Volume 25 of the STIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, published September 6, 1965, reported that "Mr. and Mrs. E.T. Ball (Ruth Benkelman) and Mrs. Wilmot Carpenter (Mae Benkelman) entertained Mr. and Mrs. F.A. Smiley (Margaret Striffler) and Mr. and Mrs. Amos Weaver (Laura Striffler) at their trailers in Pinellas Park, Florida, last winter. This is an annual event for them.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, June 15, 1972
Page Thirteen

Hold Rites in Florida for Mrs. Ruth Ball

Funeral services were held Saturday, June 3, for Mrs. Ruth Ball, 77, or Clearwater, Fla., who died the previous week. Burial was in Memorial Park Cemetery, Clearwater.

She was born in St. Francis, Kansas, to the late Ben F. and Minnie Benkelman, Sr. She spent her childhood in Cass City until her marriage to Eustis (sic) T. BALL.

Surviving are her husband, a daughter, Mrs. Dorothy WILLIAMS of Palm Beach, Fla.; two brothers, Harold L. of Caseville and Ben F. Jr. of St. Petersburg, Fla.; two sisters, Mrs. Mae CARPENTER of Clearwater and Mrs. Lois PEASE of La Grange, Ill., also three grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Ruth married Eustace Thwaites Ball on 26 Jul 1924 in Berwyn, Cook County, Illinois. Eustace was born on 13 Nov 1899 in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England; died on 21 May 1989 in Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Also was a teacher, attending Mt. Pleasant Normal.

Cass City Chronicle
Cass City, Mich., April 11, 1919
Page Four
Around Our Town
Miss Mae Benkelman, daughter of B.F. Benkelman and a teacher in the Sebewaing schools, is spending her Easter vacation here this week.

Cass City Chronicle
Cass City, Michigan
January 6, 1926

Miss Mae Benkelman returned to Flint on Sunday after spending the past two weeks at her home here.

Florence married Wilmot John "Bill" Carpenter on 1 May 1926 in Flint, Genesee County, Michigan. Wilmot was born on 1 Jul 1891 in Ballantree, Whiteship Township, York, Ontario, Canada; died on 16 Jun 1961 in Farwell, Clare County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Florence married Eustace Thwaites Ball on 13 Jan 1973 in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida. Eustace was born on 13 Nov 1899 in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England; died on 21 May 1989 in Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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:

Benjamin Franklin Benkelman, Jr. was born in 1899 in a sod hut on the JC Ranch in Jacqua, Kansas. His father, Ben, Sr., had moved to Kansas from Michigan to work for his Uncle at the ranch, and had spent nearly 20 years working as a cowboy. Ben and his three older brothers and sisters were all born on the ranch. In 1901, the family relocated back to Cass City, Michigan, where they purchased a general merchandise store. Ben remembers working at the store as soon as he was old enough to see over the counter. They sold dry goods, groceries, shoes, and crockeries. Ben recalled that the customers just pointed out what they wanted, and it was the clerks job to go gather everything. "We really worked in those days" he said. He remembers making deliveries in a red coaster wagon or by horse and buggy. The horse was named Topsy. Ben said he was the only one of the children who helped his parent's in their store. His other brothers and sisters didn't want to have anything to do with it.

In High School Ben was a star athlete. He was on the baseball, basketball, football, and track teams--four years each, earning a total of 16 letters. He even set several state track records. He graduated from High School during World War I. Fortunately, the war ended a only a few weeks before he was to report for military duty. He went to Kalamazoo College on a football scholarship. His team were the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (MIAA) in 1919. The MIAA is the Nation's Oldest Collegiate Conference.

Ben recalls that one of the games he played was against "the Gipper," who played at the University of Notre Dame. Born in 1895, George Gipp was a varsity athlete at Notre Dame from 1917 to 1920. While planning to pursue a career in baseball, he was convinced by legendary college coach Knute Rockne to play football as well. He led the Fighting Irish to a 27-2-3 record, playing both offense and defense. Several of his records still stand today. Gipp caught a throat infection during one of his final football games at Notre Dame. He died a few weeks later at the age of 25. Just before his death, he told Coach Rockne, "Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys - tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."

After a year of college, Ben returned to Cass City to help his parents with the store. He later went to work at the Nestle plant in Cass City. Nestles food had purchased the plant from Hires Milk company around 1922. This plant had been producing "sweetened" condensed milk in Cass City since 1917, employing from 50-100 persons with most of their output being exported. The plant had been established at the urging of a group of local businessmen whose objective was to encourage and secure a milk processing plant to give the local farmers, almost all who had a small dairy herd, an easier way to dispose of their milk.

While working in Cass City, Ben was on the "Ward's Independents" Basketball Team and they were 'Thumb Champions, Michigan' for the 1921-1922 season.

A mutual friend set Ben up on a blind date with Avis Smith, a schoolteacher in a nearby town. This was in 1924. When he arrived to the boarding house to pick her up, she peeked over the balcony to check him out. She had made arrangements with a friend to watch for her signal. If Ben didn't pass muster, the friend was to inform him Avis was sick in bed. He passed with flying colors, however, and they drove nearly 20 miles for Chinese food.

Around this same time, Ben enrolled in a dental technician's program in Chicago. He worked his way through school as a waiter at "Child's One Arm Restaurant." The restaurant was named for the tables the diner's each sat at, similar to old fashioned school desks.

The following article about his studies appeared in the January 8, 1926 issue of the Cass City Chronicle "Ben Benkelman, jr., has completed his studies at the McCarrie School of Mechanical Dentistry at Chicago and is now assisting Dr. P.A. Schenck in the latter's dental parlors where he is gaining practical experience in his chosen work."

Ben and Avis were married in August, 1926. Seven years later, on December 8, 1933, their only child, Bonnie, was born.

Despite being born in the midst of the depression, Bonnie remembers an idyllic childhood. By lucky accident, her father withdrew their life savings from the bank the day before the great bank crash. He took out their savings to buy a winter coat and chair. When he returned to redeposit the balance, the banks had all closed. Ben remained steadily employed, running the dental lab for Dr. Pearl Schenck and then Dr. D.E. Rawson. He was employed by them for 42 years. The Benkelman's owned a house in Cass City, and a cabin in Caseville, on Lake Huron. Ben served on the village council for 11 years, and was twice village president (Mayor). He was never too busy for his daughter though. Bonnie remembers her father helping her, along with half the football team, with their math homework throughout high school.

He was a charter member of the Cass City Gavel Club, and Past Master and Life Member of the Tyler F&AM lodge.

When Ben was in his thirties, he went on a strict diet due to problems with his gallbladder. He abstained from sugar and fat for nearly 30 years. This, and his love of sports, probably contributed to his longetivity. He was able to play golf into his late eighties, and walked every morning and evening until he was nearly 96.

Volume 26 of the STIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, published on September 5, 1966, reported that Ben retired "after 40 years as a Dental Technician. He and Avis were going to spend the winter in Houston, Texas with their daughter and family."

When the McLemore's were transferred back to Chicago, Ben and Avis moved onto St. Petersburg, Florida. They lived in a retirement community. They were to fulfill a dream when the visited Hawaii for their 50 wedding anniversary. They also enjoyed a Caribbean Cruise together. Ben had surgery for both kidney cancer and prostate cancer, both of which never reocurred. Avis died in 1981, and Ben lived in Florida for seven more years. After he suffered several minor strokes, he decided to move back to Houston, where the McLemore's had returned. This was around 1988. He lived in a retirement community on his own for several more years.

Ben's biggest fear was that his mind would deteriorate before his body, and sadly this came to pass. Around 1994, suffering from senile dementia and Alzheimer's, Ben moved into his daughter's home. Here he was to live until he died from complications from pneumonia in early 1998. His daughter, Bonnie, and granddaughters, Melinda and Leigh were at his bedside when he died.

Written by Melinda McLemore Strong, granddaughter, circa 1995 and revised periodically.

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

(Medical):Cerebrovascular disease, chronic renal failure, Alzheimers disease, kidney and prostate cancer in remission

Benjamin married Avis Augusta Smith on 24 Aug 1926 in Grand Ledge, Eaton County, Michigan. Avis (daughter of William Bertis Smith and Ida Alice Elliott) was born on 4 Apr 1901 in Odessa Township, Ionia County, Michigan; died on 7 Nov 1981 in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
Wednesday, March 15, 1989
Page Twelve
Obituaries

Lois Pease

Mrs. Lois Pease, 84, of Hinsdale, Ill., formerly of Cass City, died Thursday, March 9, at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

She was born Jan 18, 1905, the daughter of Benjamin and Wilhamena Jesse Benkelman Sr. She married James Pease, who died in 1979.

Surviving are a brother, Benjamin F. Benkelman, Jr. of Houston, Texas, a sister, Mrs. Mae Ball of Largo, Fla., 2 nephews and 2 nieces. One brother, Harold, and one sister, Ruth, preceded her in death.

Funeral services were scheduled today (Wednesday) at Little's Funeral Home, Cass City, with Rev. Clare Patton, pastor of the Salem United Methodist Church, officiating.

Interment was to be in Elkland Cemetery.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer, 2007)

(Research):Census Information:

1930 Census
Michigan, Muskegon County, Ravenna Village
Enumerated April 3, 1930 by Norman L. Kyle
ED 61-44 SD 5 Sheet 1B

28-29
Pease, James E. Hd M W 28 M 23 Mich Mich Mich Teacher
Pease, Lois J Wf F W 25 M 19 Mich NY Mich Teacher
Pease, Dudley A Brother M W 15 S Mich Mich Mich none
Jacobs, Evelyn A Boarder F W 24 S Mich Mich Mich Teacher

Lois married James E. Pease on 1 Sep 1925. James was born on 9 Nov 1901 in Midland County, Michigan; died on 3 Jul 1979 in Hinsdale, Dupage County, Illinois. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He is buried near his grandparents, Ben F. and Minnie Benkelman. The tombstone inscription reads, "Infant son of H.L. and I. Benkelman, 1922." Robert Fletcher Benkelman reports that his parents had also named their first son Robert, and that he died of pneumonia.

Notes:

Bob Benkelman had the following rememberances about his parents early life, and his own birth.

""You'll be ready to deliver around September first", the Doctor advised in early 1926. Dad and Mother had lost a boy named Robert to pneumonia in 1921. He had lived to be three months old.

Mother was known for worrying. If there was nothing to worry about, she worred about that. Isabel was the daughter of Captain Archie Fletcher, a Great Lakes ship's captain and 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.

The summer of 1926 in Sandusky, Michigan was an especially hot one. In late August, huge with this person and frenzied, she finally discarded her maternity clothes. Threw them in the trash is what she did and confined her daily attire to a loose bathrobe. She called Aunt Vera, her older brothers wife, affectionately known as "Ooftie" to come stay with her during the final days. "Ooftie" was an RN.

Perhaps reluctant to leave a warm comfortable place, I didn't arrive until October first. At a healthy eleven pounds, ten ounces, Mother's worries could focus elsewhere. I was born at home, what doctor attended, I don't ever recall learning. Mother was nearly 31 years old, Dad was a month away from 28. They had a home beside the Studebaker garage that they owned and operated since the early 20's. Dad was a mechanic, salesman and manager. Mother made regular trips to South Bend, Indiana on the train to drive back with new Studebakers.

The long awaited arrival of Robert Fletcher Benkelman could not have brought enough happiness to offset what was to happen next. However Dad was in an auto smash-up which broke his back and in ensuing months almost killed him. The Studebaker garage was completely destroyed by fire along with their home located directly beside it. They lost everything except the clothes they were wearing and there was no insurance. Nobody talked much about it over the years and some photographs of the disaster complete my information.

It was "start-over" time and on October 23, 1928 Brother, William Donald Benkelman weighed in at a more normal density. They were now in Royal Oak, Michigan. Father was equipment maintenance foreman for the E. B Schwaderer Construction Company. Roads and Highways in Michigan were being paved with concrete and Cass City native, Schwaderer was paving a big share of them."

The Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast, Vol. 7, September 4, 1944, noted that Robert Benkelman was an apprentice reserve of the V-12 units, U.S.N.R., Mt. Pleasant.

The September 6, 1948 issue of the STRIFFLER BENKELMAN BROADCAST, noted that Bob and his brother Bill were Cruise Directors, Bob on the South American and Bill on the North American.

The September 1, 1952 issue of the same periodical, reported that he was announcing from Radio Station WBCM, Bay City, and resided with his family at 501 N. Sheridan. The 1962 issue of the Broadcast reported he had opened a Radio Station, W.K.Y.O, 1360 k.c., in Caro, Michigan. In Volume 25, dated September 6, 1965, it was reported that "The Robert Benkelman family purchased the G.A. Striffler estate appropriatedly in Cass City's Centennial year. They moved on August 1, 1965."

Bob's obituary follows:

Robert F. Benkelman, who worked to develop radio broadcasting in the Thumb, established WKYO in Caro and helped many young local announcers launch their careers, died Friday at St. Mary's Medical Center in Saginaw from complications of pulmonary fibrosis. He was 79. Born in Sandusky on Oct. 1, 1926 to Harold L. and Isabel (Fletcher) Benkelman, he was raised in Cass City, served in the U.S. Navy and graduated from Michigan State with a communications degree in 1950. He married Lorraine B. Smith September 30, 1950, in Kalamazoo. After working as an announcer at WFYC in Alma, WILS in Lansing and WBCM in Bay City, Bob and Chuck Anthony formed a group of investors to start the Water Wonderland Broadcasting Company in the mid-1950s and went on the air as WWBC. He later sold his interest in WWBC and founded the Tuscola Broadcasting Company with James McCoy, going on the air as WKYO 1360 in Caro in 1962. He started WKYO-FM 104.9 in the 1980's, later changing the call letters to WIDL, which now broadcasts on 92.1. Mr. B,' as he called himself on the air, did every job at his stations, from custodial work to writing ad spots to overall management. He felt that small-town radio should be local in nature, giving the public the news of the community, from lost animals to a trip to the Thumb by the president of the U.S. As small-town radio stations are also starting places for young announcers, many of the successful radio and TV people in this area were helped and taught by Bob at WKYO and WIDL. He and his company belonged to the National Association of Broadcasters, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, the Radio Advertising Bureau, the Caro Chamber of Commerce and the Cass City Chamber of Commerce. A veteran of the U. S. Navy (1944-1946), Bob in 1999 volunteered to help restore the SS American Victory Mariners Memorial and Museum in Tampa, Florida. He was a published writer, with several articles in the local press in Florida. Bob loved working on and operating all manner of transportation - planes, boats and automobiles. During the 1970s, he obtained his pilot's license and owned several planes. He also was an avid boater and amateur auto mechanic. He took physical fitness seriously, regularly lifting weights and doing four-mile fast-walks -- and rejecting offers of car rides from passing friends. He was a member of the Rotary Club, the Caro Moose Lodge, the Caseville Eagles Club and the Elks Club of Ruskin, Florida. He was a life member of the Michigan State University Alumni Association. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine; daughters: Carole Benkelman and her husband Kevin Larke of St. Johns, Catherine and her husband Charles Brooks of Sheridan, Arkansas, Susan Benkelman and her husband Ken Fireman of Bethesda, Maryland; grandchildren Jason Tetreau, Carrie Tetreau, Andrew Larke, Keith Brooks, Steven (Amber) Brooks, Eric Brooks, Catherine Fireman, Alexandra Fireman; and great granddaughter, Faith Brooks. He is preceded in death by his brother, William Benkelman. A graveside service will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 26 with Virginia Leipprandt, Jim Joslin and Ken Fireman officiating. Interment will take place in Elkland Township Cemetery. Family and friends may share memories, prayers and stories with the family at www.kranzfuneralhome.com. Memorials may be made to the Rawson Memorial Library, 6495 Pine St., Cass City, MI 48726. Arrangements by Kranz Funeral Home, Cass City, Michigan Debra L. Kranz (989) 872-2195

Robert married Lorraine Bessie "Smitty" Smith on 30 Sep 1950 in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Lorraine (daughter of Clarence William Smith and Cora Susan Page) was born on 12 Feb 1931 in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan; died on 15 Jun 2012 in Caseville, Huron County, Michigan; was buried on 22 Jun 2012 in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [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:

Bonnie was extremely active during her High School years in Cass City, Michigan. According to her yearbook, the "1952 Perranos", she spent four years in the band (she played the clarinet) and in the honor society; was alternately treasurer, secretary, and president of her home room; was in the junior class play; and was on the Annual Staff and in the Queen's Homecoming Court her senior year. Her lively sense of humor was apparent from her statement in the class will: "I, Bonnie Benkelman, of questionable mind and body, will my ability, (which I don't have) to stay on my hall guide post all hour to Jean Holmberg, who doesn't have it either but since she has to make a good impression it might come in handy."

She went to Western Michigan College in Kalamazoo, and was a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority. She was social chairperson of the Panhellenic Council in 1952. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, specializing in Occupational Therapy. It was a good fit for her, combining her love of science and her enjoyment of doing things with her hands. Bonnie noted that Jane Stickley Benkelman, a nurse who worked both with veterans and crippled children, had suggested she pursue this career path.

Bonnie interned in Baltimore, at Shepherd Pratt Psychiatric Hospital, becoming an O.T.R. She also received an Elementary Provisional Certificate from the State of Michigan State Board of Education which would have allowed her to teach Occupational Therapy at the High School level.

Her first job after graduation was at Hines Veterens' Administrations Hospital in Chicago, in the Cardiac department. She saved her money faithfully to purchase an automobile. At that time a VW Beetle cost around $1,500. When she was within $50 of this goal, she broke her leg skiing. Most of her savings went to pay off her hospital bills, and to finance a trip to Europe with her Aunt Ilo Smith shortly before her wedding. When Bonnie resigned from the Veterens' Administration in before her marriage in 1958, she was classified as a GS-631-7 and was making $4,980 yearly.

Bonnie worked as an Occupational Therapist before her daughters were born. When her eldest daughter was 18 months old, she returned to work at the Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children in Dallas. After the birth of younger daughters, she stopped her paid employment to become a full time mom and volunteer. She was a homeroom mother, sunday school teacher, and girl scout leader.

(Research):
In the News

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, July 12, 1940
Local Happenings, Page Four

The dog at the B.F. Benkelman Jr., home rejoiced Sunday night. His little mistress, Bonny, and her mother, Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, Jr., returned that day from a week's visit in Lansing and Grand Ledge.

Cass City Chronicle
Cass City, Michigan, Friday, October 26, 1956
Page One

Bonnie Benkelman Passes OTR Exam

"Miss Bonnie Benkelman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, 4581 West Street, Cass City, has successfully completed her national examination for registration by the American Occupational Therapy Association.

A graduate of Western Michigan College, Kalamazoo, one of 29 colleges in the United States offering OT programs approved by the American Medical Association, Miss Benkelman joins the ranks of 5,000 OTR's working in hospitals and schools across the nation.

Occupational therapists give treatment on the doctor's prescription in the form of supervised activity to people injured physically or mentally by accident or disease."


Cass City Chronicle
April 28, 1960
Page Six
Cass City Area Social and Personal Items

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman enjoyed a four-day visit last week with their daughter and family, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McLemore and little daughter, in Chicago.

Cass City Chronicle
August 18, 1960
Page 4

Mr. and Mrs. T.E. McLemore and little daughter Melinda of Chicago, Ill., returned home Saturday after two weeks here with Mrs. McLemore's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, July 26, 1962
Page Two
Cass City Area Social and Personal Items

Mrs. Thomas McLemore and daughter Melinda of Dallas, Texas, are spending two weeks with Mrs. McLemore's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, July 15, 1966
Page Two
Personal News from Cass City Area

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McLemore and daughters, Melinda and Melissa, from Houston, Tex. Arrived July 4 and have been visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman. Their youngest daughter, Leigh remained in Texas with her paternal grandmother. The McLemores expect to leave Thursday to return home.

The following article was published in "The Paris (TX) News" in the Fall of 1976.

Mrs. McLemore is Newcomer

Mrs. Tom (Bonnie) McLemore, 1065 Johnson Woods Drive, has been named as the Welcome Wagon's Newcomer of the Month.

A native of Michigan, Mrs. McLemore attended schools in Cass City and holds a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University.

She has been active in Girl Scouting, garden club work, Panhellenic activities, and a volunteer for Hope House for the Multiple-Handicapped Children.

She and her husband have three daughters, Melinda, 16; Melissa, 13, and Leigh, 11, and have lived in Paris about a month.

Bonnie married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Carole was born in Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, but was brought home to her parents apartment in East Lansing, very close to Michigan State University, where her parents were living at the time.

In January, 1999, her mother wrote of her eldest daughter, "Lives in St. Johns, Michigan with her husband, a radio station engineer, yes, they met at our radio station. She works in a social agency and has three children, a boy and girl grown and a son (Andy) who is a second grader."

CAROLE JEAN BENKELMAN,
71, died January 19, 2023, after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at her home in Saint Johns, Mich., surrounded by family. Carole was born October 26, 1951 in Lansing, the first of three daughters born to Robert and Lorraine (Smith) Benkelman, and grew up in Cass City, where she graduated from high school in 1969.

A graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in human ecology, Carole worked as a social worker for several years. After graduating, she worked at Michigan Works, and then served as a case manager at a domestic violence and sexual assault services center in Clinton County. She also worked for several years at Federal Mogul in Saint Johns. Before retiring, she worked for The Salvation Army in Owosso.

From childhood to the end of her life, Carole was a source of joy for everyone around her, always sharing her positive spirit with friends and family even in times of adversity. She cared deeply about her family, especially her sons Jason and Andy and her daughter Carrie. Children brought her particular happiness. If you were lucky enough to be a child in Carole's life, you no doubt have a story to tell about something special she did for you or a fun place she took you.

Carole found great satisfaction in making connections. She was the keeper of family lore, and used her curiosity and sharp memory to help people understand their ancestors and what life was like for the people who came before us. After her parents died, she kept the pictures and letters they had retrieved from the old Striffler-Benkelman House on Houghton Street in Cass City, which was packed with family history (and a lot of other things) when her parents bought it in the 1960s. When the internet and genealogy web sites came along, Carole and her mother took great pains to post digital versions of the photos so that there were faces to go with the names.

Connections were so important to Carole that she helped people outside her family make them, too. In the last years of her life, she walked her caregivers through Ancestry.com to research their own families, helping them create genealogical trees and using the TV screen to display the app on her phone. She said it was a good way to pass the time, but everyone knew it was more than that. It was a reflection of how she lived her life, believing that time shouldn't be wasted sitting still, even when her disease forced her to. She loved to go on those journeys of discovery with the people who were helping her.

As a social worker, her generous and empathetic nature made her beloved among clients, as she helped them pay their utility bills or find them a warm place to stay. Once or twice her dedication to this work got her into trouble, like when she went against agency policy to transport clients to a safe place or buy them food with her own money, earning reprimands from bosses in the bureaucracy. But she cared more about the people than the policies - especially if children were involved. She was always thinking about someone else.

Carole adored things that had stood the test of time: old buildings, old furniture, old photographs and old souls. Her sisters remember how she liked to take pictures in cemeteries around the Thumb as a teenager. She cared as much about the elderly as she did children, making time to visit her grandparents to see that they never felt isolated as they aged.

Carole was always active - fixing or painting something, cleaning or working in the garden. She never sat down. So her 2014 diagnosis of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, was difficult to fathom. But it was also the same year that the Ice Bucket Challenge brought about heightened awareness of ALS, so its presence in society, and in her, was hard to ignore. She fought it to the very end, even though ALS is a progressive disease against which there really is no arsenal. That reality brought great frustration to her and her fellow "PALS" (people with ALS).

Carole is survived by her loving husband, Kevin Larke; sons: Jason Tetreau of Cass City, Andrew Larke of Owosso; daughter, Carrie Tetreau of Saint Johns; two sisters: Catherine (Charles) Brooks of Sheridan, AR; Susan (Ken Fireman) Benkelman of Bethesda, MD; two nephews: Steven Brooks, Eric Brooks; two nieces: Catherine Fireman, Alexandra Fireman.

According to her wishes, cremation has taken place. Inurnment will be in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City in the spring. Carole asked that donations in her memory be made to ALS of Michigan in Southfield, which she said was the non-profit organization that helped her the most, and she'd like to pay that generosity forward.

Published by Kranz Funeral Home - Cass City on Jan. 21, 2023.

Carole married Gary D. Tetreau on 6 Nov 1971 in Caro, Tuscola County, Michigan. Gary was born on 16 Nov 1953 in Bad Axe, Huron County, Michigan; died on 7 Nov 1985 in Huron County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Carole married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]