Richard Churchill Bender

Richard Churchill Bender of Gilroy, CA passed away on April 20, 2023. He was born in Anniston, Alabama January 27, 1934 to Brigadier Gen Arthur Hodgkins and Jane Bonnycastle Bender. He grew up as an "Army brat" living all over the world and the United States. He graduated from Univ of Texas at El Paso with a BSEE degree where he began his USArmy career in 1955 as a 2nd Lt. He started as a single engine pilot after attending flight school at Ft Rucker, AL but his severe asthma grounded him. His career continued in the Army Air Defense Command. He was in Korea twice for the war and once in Vietnam where he worked for the United Nations. He had a 21 year career retiring in Colo. Springs, CO as a Lt. Col. He then had a follow on career in the defense electronics field. He is survived by his sister, Beverly Wallace and his two children, Laurie Black and Rich Bender, Jr. and their children. His ashes will be interred at Eternal Hills in Oceanside, CA. He was a quiet man with a problem solving mind and he will be missed.