Obituary of Joseph J. Bender

Joe Bender, 75, died on Friday Oct. 17, 2003 at the Bergen Regional Medical Center at Paramus, NJ. Born in Lebanon, PA he was the son of the late Joseph and Joseph (LaSala) Bender. He attended parochial school in Lebanon as a child and also in Haskell, NJ. He graduated from Butler High School in 1946 and attended Rutgers University majoring in Business Administration. He served in the US Army during World War II and spent fifteen months in Korea. He married Marilyn Bunting in 1949. For twenty-five years he owned and operated Buntings Sunoco service station on the corner of Union Valley and Lakeside Road. During the 1970s he was partner in Bender and Sherman Tires and then became a salesman for Lakeland Chemicals. Mr. Bender served on the West Milford Town Council during the 1960s before the form of government was changed. He was a member of the Town Planning Board and the Greenwood Lake Conservation committee and helped arrange for the purchase of tracts of land surrounding the lake by the State of New Jersey during the Green Acres era. He was a founding member and past commander and life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7198 of West Milford where he kept very active until recently. He was also an active member of the West Milford Elks, member if Silentia Lodge F & AM, Butler and West Milford Square Club. Mr. Bender is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Marilyn; his son Bradley of Dandy, VT; his daughter Lyn Rand of Denville, NJ; hour grandchildren Cassandra Bender, Kyle, Jack, and Joshua Rand; his brothers Robert and James Bailey of Haskell, NJ and Tom Bender of Annville, PA; five nephews. Mr. Bender was a member of the congregation of St. Elizabeths Memorial Chapel, Tuxedo, NY where his memorial service will be held on Saturday Nov. 1, 2003 at 11:00AM. Contributions in his memory may be made to the West Milford Elks or the restoration fund of St. Elizabeths Memorial Chapel.