Morton A. Bender

1933 - 2022

Bender

Morton A. Bender

On Monday, April 11, 2022, Morton "Morty" Bender of Washington, DC passed away peacefully at his home with his beloved wife Grace by his side. He was 89 years old. Morton Bender, the son of Jack and Dorothy Bender, was born in Paterson, New Jersey on January 24, 1933. His family moved to Washington, DC shortly thereafter. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1950. Although he did not attend college, in his later years he made it possible for many students to attend various universities in the metropolitan area by setting up scholarships in honor of his parents. He created The Bender Scholarship to Cambridge University in England for a graduate from The George Washington University to attend annually.



Morton and his brothers proudly endowed the American University with Jack I. and Dorothy G. Bender Library and Resource Center in 1977. Morton's passion for education was not limited to students. The Morton Bender Prize, established at American University in 2000, honors extraordinary achievement by a faculty member who has been tenured within the previous four years.



Morton began working for his father at Blake Construction in 1950. His first job was as a timekeeper. Eventually, he became President and Chairman of Blake Construction. From 1958 to 1979, Mr. Bender was instrumental in the development of 5 million square feet of office space in private industry and government. Mr. Bender and his brothers, Howard and Stanley, both deceased, owned many businesses in the area including a hotel, radio station, and a men's clothing store. Mr. Bender was a Director and the largest stockholder of the FVC Bank. Previously he served as the principal owner of Colombo Bank which merged with FVC Bank in May 2018.



His first marriage to Penelope Herbst ended in divorce. Together they had four sons, Jay, Jeff (deceased), Kenny (Laura), Scott, and a daughter, Lisa Feldman (Bill). He married Grace Morisi on December 20, 1979. Their son Jack and his wife Nina presented Morty with his ninth grandchild, Amelia, in August of 2018.



Morty had a true philanthropic spirit that has been widely recognized in Washington. He created The Dorothy G. Bender Foundation in honor of his mother. In addition to his interest and support of education, the arts, and health, he created the Bender Prize to honor an individual for outstanding community service in DC.



Morty and his wife Grace supported organizations ranging from The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, The Washington Ballet to Children's National Hospital, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Operation Smile, So Others May Eat, Martha's Table, Horton's Kids, and many other causes. One of Morty's biggest joys in life was helping someone in need of advice or financial assistance or just a kind gesture.



He would read that playground equipment or uniforms for a little league baseball team were needed, and he would provide them. At age 75, he climbed on a friend's roof to discover the source of a leak, and promptly knew how to fix it. He surprised a sick friend with a visit and brought along his favorite milkshake. At a European train station, a young girl did not have enough money to cover her ticket. He stepped right up…. years before anyone ever heard of "pay it forward." He was the first to offer his home to people who might need a place to stay while looking for a permanent residence.



In addition to his sons and daughter, he is survived by nine grandchildren, Amelia, Benjamin, Blake, Cameron, Drew, Jade, Jaqueline, Michael, and Rachel; three great-grandchildren, Adelina, Augustine, and Zoe-Grace and by many nieces and nephews.



Services will be held on Monday, April 18, 2022, at 11 a.m. at the Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb Street NW, Washington 20016, followed immediately by a reception in the Edlavitch Hall. Interment will be private. Shiva will be at the family home on Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m.



In lieu of flowers, contributions on behalf of Mr. Bender may be made to The Georgetown University Hospital, c/o Fernando L. Pagan, M.D., Movement Disorder Center, Department of Neurology, 3800 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC 20007, or to Children's National Hospital Foundation, 801 Roeder Road, Suite 300, Silver Spring, MD 20910.