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Chritten Benoit Obituary
Longtime Ridgefield and Redding resident Chritten Paul "Ben" Benoit, a former Air Force officer and later American Airlines captain, died Feb. 19 at Danbury Health Care Center after a long battle with cancer. He was 77.
Born on May 28, 1936, in Southbridge, Mass., to a cabinetmaker father and volunteer nurse- mother, he became fascinated with aviation as boy, joining the Air National Guard while still attending Southbridge High School. He was accepted into the cadet program at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas in 1955.
Benoit met his first wife, Mary Anne Handley, who had two children from a previous marriage, while stationed in Michigan. The couple married in 1963 and had three children of their own.
Retiring from the Air Force as a captain, Benoit moved his young family to Ridgefield and began flying for American Airlines, where he would become a captain and spend the rest of his career, retiring in 1996.
Benoit's first marriage ended in divorce in 1986. Mary Anne Benoit died in 2009.
He met his second wife, Galina Seriakova, in 1995. They married in 1997 and moved to Redding with her two youngest children.
"He was generous to the point he could give everything to people in need," Seriakova said.
Survivors include two sons: Paul Benoit of Melville, N.Y., and Mark Benoit of Bethel; a daughter, Barbara Kieley of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; three stepdaughters, Christie Handley of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Constance Handley of Arlington, Va., and Anna Kovtunenko of Brooklyn, N.Y.; three stepsons, Nickolai Kovtunenko of Moscow, Alexander Seriakov of New Haven, and Alexei Kovtunenko of Hartford; two brothers, Jerome Benoit of Vernon, Conn., and Kerry Benoit of Fort Worth, Texas; a sister, Alexis Elza of Woodland Park, Colo.; three grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday February 25th at Saint Peter Church, 104 Main St., Danbury. A private burial in Massachusetts will take place in the spring.
The Green Funeral Home 57 Main Street Danbury is in charge of arrangements.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Chritten Benoit
Mrs. Boyd (audrey) Blankenship
April 12, 2019
A fine gentleman and a long time friend of my late husband, Capt, Boyd Blankenship American Airline. I am sorry about such a delay, as I moved to Virginia sometime after my husbands death and have recently returned to Connecticut. Ben had a wonderful sense of humor, and was a sincere, genuine and fine gentleman.. My condolences to his wife and family.
Alexis Elza
September 28, 2014
My brother is gone. I miss getting letters from him, the articles from the NYT that he would clip and include with his correspondence. He loved music, especially jazz, and art too. We would have long phone conversations about it all. We were
bonded in that way. I was in awe of his knowledge of aviation; in his arena I was merely the listener, he taught me a few things and was mentor to my son Jonathan who went on to become a pilot himself. Thank you brother Ben for all that you were to me. I love you. Rest in peace.
Jayne Steubing
April 12, 2014
I am very saddened by the loss of Ben Benoit. My heart goes out to Galena and their entire family. I had tutored Sasha and Alosha in Redding around 1998-2001. I returned to upstate New York when Carl, my husband, died of cancer. Sasha and Alosha were such smart boys, and Ben and Galena were so kind and generous. I am sorry we lost touch. Bless you all at this sad time. ~ Dr. Jayne [email protected]
March 19, 2014
With sincere sympathy to the family of Mr. Benoit.
Their mother was a friend of mine and we were
neighbors on Wilton Rd. West.
May he rest in peace.
Sincerely,
Ann Petty, Florida
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Christie Handley
March 3, 2014
Condolences to all family members and friends, near and far.
Sabine & Paul Schultz
February 23, 2014
So sorry for your loss.
Sincere condolences.
Rest in Peace Ben.
February 22, 2014
Deepest Sympathy Your Cousin John L. Coderre Kent, WA
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