David Martin Benjamin

STOUGHTON David Martin Benjamin, age 87, passed away peacefully at home on November 2, 2008, surrounded by his loving family. For 64 years he was the loving husband of Edith Rose (Trollope) Benjamin. He was born July 31, 1921 in Milford, CT, the son of Percy E. Benjamin and Grace Lyon Benjamin. He graduated from Braintree High School and attended Boston University. He served in the Army Air Corps as a master sargeant during World War II. He worked for the Canadian National Railroad and as a traffic manager for Forte, Dupee, and Sawyer, both in Boston. David was very committed to the service of his beloved community of Stoughton, Massachusetts. He served on many town committees, including as a town meeting representative for 51 years. He was a member of the Stoughton School Committee for 12 years and served on several school building committees. He was on the Stoughton Finance Committee for 9 years. He was also on the state Committee of Finance and Taxation from 1971, serving as chairman from 1974 to 1981. He was a member of the board of trustees for the Evergreen Cemetery Association. He was also a member of the Stoughton Historical Society and the Rising Star Lodge chapter of the A.F. & A.M. Order of the Masons. David is remembered as a wonderful singer. He was a long time officer and member of the Old Stoughton Musical Society, the oldest continuing music society in the United States. He sang in 27 local concerts with Myron Florin from the Lawrence Welk Show. He sang with church choirs at the Stoughton Universalist Church, the Porter Congregational Church in Brockton and the Stoughton United Church of Christ. He sang with the Brockton Oratorical Society, now the Jubilate Chorale. He also sang in many local theater productions. In his later years, he sang with the Senior Serenaders from the Stoughton Senior Center. David and his beloved wife, Edith, loved to travel. Whether visiting Edith's family in the United Kingdom, traveling to Europe with the Jubilate Chorale, or traveling on their own throughout the United States, Europe, or to Hawaii, David and Edith shared many happy memories of trips together. At home, David could often be found on the golf course, on summer trips to Horseneck Beach, or skiing on New Hampshire mountains with friends and family. In addition to his wife, David is survived by his daughters, Meredith Hatch and her husband Philip, Barbara Barrett and her husband Michael, and Anne Mullett; grandchildren Peter Barrett and his wife Dierdre, Karen Gelo and her husband Derik, David Hatch, Jesslyn Mullett and Benjamin Mullett; great-grandson Jordan Barrett and step-great-grandson Trenton Gelo. He is also survived by his sisters, Janet Smallidge and Nancy Benjamin, niece and nephews and their families, as well as many faithful friends. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, November 8 at the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 76 Pierce St., Stoughton at 10 a.m. Visiting hours omitted. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the First Congregational Church at the above address or to the Old Colony Hospice, 1 Credit Union Way, Randolph, MA 02368. Arrangements by the Farley Funeral Home, Stoughton. Obituary at www.farleyfh.com.