Timothy E. Bena

     Today is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad. Timothy E. Bena, age 56, of Onalaska, WI passed away on May 31, 2020. Tim is now in the Kingdom of Heaven with his daughter Audra where they are both cancer free.
     Tim was a man of passion who wore his heart on his sleeve. A man of God who enjoyed his time teaching young children at St Pat's the Word of the Lord. His CCD kids, now grown and young adults, would still share their memories with him when they would see him. Tim's
teaching passion was not only shared in the church. Every opportunity Tim had to teach a child, he took and ran with it. His guidance and teaching reached many people - both young and old.  He had a laugh that would fill the room. Tim always had a way of making you feel good about
yourself. No one ever left a conversation with him without a compliment or words of encouragement.
     Tim is the guy who would stop to help anyone: a friend, a neighbor or even a stranger. He helped so many people in so many ways. He would help a stranger buy groceries. He would help someone out of a ditch or change a flat tire. He always loved to help his neighbor as in his
words, "it's one of the commandments we should always remember."
     Tim grew up in Coon Valley where he graduated from Westby High School in 1982. He attended Western Wisconsin Technical College for Mechanical Engineering. He was excited to be hired by Texas Instruments and made the move to Dallas, TX. It was not long before Tim found his career path lead him to electronics and designing circuit boards. He was proud to be part of the Top-Secret team at Texas Instruments that worked on designing the boards used on the missiles for Dessert Storm. Those missiles saved the lives of countless soldiers. Tim’s goal was to return to his roots here in Wisconsin. In July of 1991, Tim began his career with Trane Company when they started their electronics department and needed a circuit board designer.  Tim was a vital part of making Trane Company a top leader of HVAC equipment and controls.
Tim’s technical excellence and passion for what he did allowed him to impact countless product designs, processes, and tools across a diverse corporation. The products he worked on are produced and used by people around the world in multiple industries from HVAC to Power
Tools. Tim’s desire for design excellence was only exceeded by his delight in mentoring junior design team members and keeping a positive, uplifting attitude amongst his coworkers. No matter the challenge, Tim was always willing to give his best and be an example steward for his
company.
     When Tim returned to Wisconsin, he met the love of his life, Linda Spencer. They were married October 16, 1993 and soon the 2 became a family of 4. It was a priority to always have a family dinner to share and give thanks for at least one thing from everyone's day. Vacations were always as a family and favorites included camping and going to Miller Park. Tim enjoyed snowmobiling and hitting the trails with his family. Tim also enjoyed being called "The Chosen One" and spending time with his honorary brother, Rick Vogel. Many good times were spent
with Rick, along with his wife Peg and sons Ben and Alex – on vacations, snowmobiling, playing cards, and just being together.
     Tim believed in working hard, but also playing hard. He enjoyed his summers on Lake Mead water skiing and fishing. He loved playing baseball and later playing softball. Some of his best memories were playing for and managing the Trane Aardvark Softball team. After the games,
he enjoyed getting the kids on the field to run the bases and Tim would join in and play like one of the kids. Tim playing ball was a family affair. Once the kids grew older, Tim stopped playing himself and instead focused on coaching and being there for Brock and Audra's games...just as
they were there for his. Tim enjoyed playing golf and tending to his lawn. He lived by the motto "You never put off until tomorrow what needs to be done today!" Tim worked, played, and lived hard.
     Our family could have been broken when our daughter Audra passed away from brain cancer, but instead we tried to make her proud and open our home and hearts to others. It started with hosting a La Crosse Logger who we soon started to call our Summer Son - Alex. He has a special place in our heart, and he is forever part of our family. We also opened our home for a Rotary Foreign Exchange Daughter - Lili Zhn from Cologne Germany, who filled the house with singing. She too has planted her seed in our hearts and even though we have oceans between us, she has become part of our family.
     Tim was proud to be part of the Holmen Lions Club for 27 years serving as secretary, treasurer, and president. He also volunteered his time to the City of Onalaska Technology Committee. His passion was being a member of St Pat's where he was part of the ACT committee - helping at fish fries, teaching CCD, and being a wine and bread minister.
     Tim is survived by his loving wife, Linda (Spencer) Bena, and his son, Brock, of Onalaska; his parents, Chuck and Theresa Bena of Onalaska, and Ken and Ruth Spencer of Holmen; his brother, Matt Bena of Camp Douglas, WI; his sister-in-law, Lara (Spencer) and Jim Hines of Mindoro; and brother-in-law, David Spencer and Deb Nelson of Houston, MN; the nieces and nephews he loved - Lauren Bena, Bailey and Jacob Hines, and Jessi and Amanda Spencer. These along with many aunts, uncles, cousins, and the extended family of friends who have endured this journey with us. A true measure of a man is the friends surrounding him. There is not a large enough tool to measure the amount of friends Tim has.
     Tim was preceded in death, but now reunited with his daughter Audra and his brother Phillip Bena, along with his grandparents and aunts and uncles.
     Brock and I would like to thank the caregivers from Gundersen Lutheran who treated Tim as if he was their own brother, father, or friend. We appreciate each and every one that cared for him from the receptionist to the doctors and nurses.
     Visitation will be held at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, 1031 Main St., Onalaska WI on Sunday, June 7, from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. We would welcome the elderly and high-risk friends to come to the visitation during the first hour, if you are not high risk, we ask you refrain from coming for the first hour. The Celebration of Life on Monday, June 8 at 11 a.m. there will not be a visitation before the service. There will be a small gathering at the Bena home at 1848 Wood Run Pl. in Onalaska following the mass.
     In lieu of flowers, Brock and I would like you to consider doing what Tim would do, help a fellow neighbor in need, please make a donation in memory of Tim to your favorite charity.