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Gary Bender Obituary
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He was born on October 13, 1939 in Rockford, Illinois to Maynard and Mary (Herbert) Bender. Gary married Colleen Warner on October 7, 1961 in Rockford, Illinois. He served his country in the Army Reserves, and went on to work as a corporate pilot. He and Colleen moved to Huntley in 2008 from Surprise, Arizona.
Gary was a devout Lutheran and member of Shepherd of the Prairie church. He helped establish the Kingdom Fellowship Weekend (a spiritual retreat for Christians) across several churches in Illinois and Arizona. An avid outdoorsman, Gary enjoyed fishing, hunting, and hiking. He ran in the Milwaukee Marathon and even tried his hand at skydiving. Somehow, he still found the time to go golfing and root on the Chicago Bears. Above all things, his greatest joy was his family. He will be dearly missed.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Colleen Bender; his children, Jeffrey (Shekira) Bender, and Marcey (Robert) Kolb; his sisters, Vicky Bertrand, and Debbie Rohmann; and eight grandchildren, Jenna Moorman, Trent Moorman, Bryce Moorman, Fredrick Bender, Charles Bender, Haley Kolb, and Dylan Kolb.
In addition to his parents, Gary was preceded in death by his stepfather, Wayne Neff, and his stepmother, Gladys Bender.
The family would like to give special thanks to all the staff at The Heathers Senior Home in Lake in the Hills for their wonderful care as Gary's health declined the past few years. They would also like to thank JourneyCare Hospice for their tender and amazing end of life support.
Visitation will be held on Friday, March 7, 2025 from 10am until time of service at 11am, at Shepherd of the Prairie Church – 10805 Main St. Huntley, IL 60142. Memorial donations are suggested to Shepherd of the Prairie Church and JourneyCare Hospice through the Addus Hope Foundation.
For further information please contact the funeral home at 847-515-8772 or online condolences may be directed to www.defiorefuneral.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
3 Entries
Richard Renock
March 8, 2025
Our most sincere condolences to Colleen and family.
With great sympathy,
Rich and Debbie Renock, Painesville, Ohio.
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Victor Arnold
March 4, 2025
We were high school classmates of Gary and graduated together in 1958. While we moved away from the Rockford area shortly after we always looked forward to seeing Gary and Colleen every five years at our high school reunions. Each time it was as though we hadn't seen each other for a week. Gary never changed. He was always joyful and had wonderful stories about his life. He was a great friend and will be missed.
Our condolences and thoughts are with Colleen and his entire family.
Vic "Lou" and Marie Arnold
Gordon Conover
March 1, 2025
Gary and I had known each other since childhood as friends and neighbors in North Park (now Machesney Park). We were Boy Scouts and had numerous good times on scouting adventures and later as participants in football, basketball and track at Harlem High School. He was an excellent student, a very good athlete and just a darn nice, even-tempered guy who was liked by all his classmates. He was very supportive of his school and was a avid supporter of his 1958 class. He would even drive from Huntley just to attend the monthly alumni breakfasts in Loves Park. He had deep strong feelings toward his faith and family. We have lost a good Man and he is missed. Condolences to Colleen and the family.
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10763 Dundee Road, Huntley, IL 60142
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