James R. Bentley

1934 - 2012

James R. Bentley, age 78, passed peacefully into His eternal rest Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, in Arlington Texas. With his only child at his side, James passed from secondary complications fol-lowing an extended battle with Parkinson's disease.
James was born May 4, 1934, in Wellsville, N.Y., to Ralph Bentley and Dorothy Bell. He was the youngest of three siblings and grew up in nearby Bolivar, N.Y., with a brother and sister, Robert and July. In his early years, he developed interests in individual and team sports. Football was his favorite. He later grew up to be class athlete in his senior year of high school. He went on to be a graduate of Penn State University, while also enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program. Upon graduation from school, he went on active duty as a captain with the Air Force and began his flight training in Lakeland, Fla., where he met his "wife to be," Georgia. James was married Aug. 25, 1956, to Georgia Jones in Bolivar, N.Y., and enjoyed being both a loving and devoted husband to Georgia and a proud father of his only child, his son Russell. He had varied interests in the outdoors, from fishing, to hunting, to family camping and boating. He was strong-willed and ambitious, but tender-hearted and compassionate.
James is survived by his only child, Russell E. Bentley (51) of Dallas, Texas; by many nieces/nephews in the New England area; and many dear longtime friends and co-workers.
A memorial service to celebrate the life and times of James Bentley will be at 11 a.m. May 25, 2013, tentatively at the Maple Lawn Cemetery in Bolivar, N.Y., through Schaffner Funeral Home. A reception following the service will be held at the L'Italia Restaurant in Wellsville, N.Y. James' final resting place will be Maple Lawn Cemetery, Bolivar, N.Y. Online condolences may be sent to the family at Moore-Funeralhome.com.
James was loved and respected during his lifetime and will be deeply missed by all those who where fortunate enough to know him and shared a part of his life.