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 Author  Topic: Robert Bende PT 367-Final Patrol
Gary Paulsen

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Gary Paulsen   Send Email To Gary Paulsen Posted on: Jul 6, 2010 - 3:45am
His daughter Rebecca emailed me and let me know of Bob's passing. Sadly we have lost another veteran. Below is a copy of his obituary. Rest in Peace Bob.
Gary

Burlington County Times
Robert Bende, of Leisuretowne, Southampton, passed away Thursday, July 1, 2010. He was 85.

He was the beloved husband of 63 years of the late June (Hammill) Bende,

Born in Haddon Heights, he was the son of the late Daniel and Lydia Bende.

Bob enlisted in the naval service at age 17 and served on P.T. Boat 367 in what was known as the Mosquito Fleet in World War II.

He started a flower business in Medford in 1952 and retired in 1981.He served as Chairman of the Planning Board for Medford Township for 30 years and received the accolade of Bende Park in Medford. He was awarded Man of the Year in Medford Township as well as Man of the Year for the Lenape Regional High School.

As an adult he provided financial security to enable all four children to attend college.

He was the loving father of four children, Alison Brick and her husband, Matt Noble of Tabernacle, Gail Young and her husband, David of Southampton, Robert H. Bende and his wife, Phyllis of Tabernacle, and Rebecca Stout and her husband, Scott of Hixson,Tenn. He is also survived by his nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and his sister, Carol Wolf of St. Augustine, Fla.

Relatives and friends are invited to greet the family from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday and from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday at the Bradley & Stow Funeral Home, 127 Medford-Mt. Holly Road, Medford, where his funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown, N.J.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, the family requests memorial donations in his name be made to the Humane Society of Atlantic City, 1401 Absecon Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ 08401 or flowers may be sent to the funeral home.



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Frank J Andruss Sr

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank J Andruss Sr   Send Email To Frank J Andruss Sr Posted on: Jul 6, 2010 - 4:05am
Rebecca

I was very sorry to hear that your Dad had passed away. My condolances to your Family. Rest assured that your Dad is once again being reunited with his Crew, and will shortly be riding the waves bow high pointing towards our Lord...............


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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Jul 6, 2010 - 12:16pm
LEST WE FORGET...

Will

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Rebecca Stout

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 14, 2010 - 3:35pm
Just got back into town. We are still in shock. Gary, thank you so very much for this posting.

This guy (my 85 year old dad) was carausing around with a "special friend" (lol) in a sports car convertable, walking the boardwalk, landsaping and trimming trees til the end. We are astounded. He fell as you know some weeks ago, broke some bones, and then had complications during recovery. He then made progress ... only to get C-Diff in the hospital (the new hosptial "super bug").

I said to my family, "Okay, so let me get this straight. This guy survives being from a poor immigrant Italian family during the depression, fighting the Japanese in the war, heart surgeries and other elderly ailments and most of all ... mother, only to succuimb to a "bug" that I cannot see? Are you kidding me?"

He was right in the middle of a second life. He wrote a poetry book for friends. Finished up a memoir book and self published that. Was waiting to have a huge ceramony with his "special friend", was planning on building a cottage for the two of them (pipe dream, but still ...), and his life just stopped in its tracks. He wasn't "old"!!

I had the pleasure of setting up the funeral home for his viewing service. I uncovered every stone in the house to find stuff to set up. He had a table filled with his civil service and politician things, a table for his musical past (he was a bugler among other things in the navy), a table of his new found hobby in the last couple years ... writing, and lastly a table of all his war stuff. I even set up a big model PT boat. Omg, the scrap book and photos I found? Ri-dun-culous! Insanely interesting. Found a notebook from torpedo school too. Frank Sinatra played in the background. We had quite a turn out.

The military burial was really something. Had we not run out of time before the chapel time, it would have been even better they said. Unfortunately I had no idea the extent they'd go for that service so I had no video cam. However, I did take a phone video of the flag folding and presentation to my older brother which was cool. It was very soothing and so healing to me. I perked me up after a very sad funeral service, ya know? My last memory of him being tucked away all night-nights under our grand, warm flag.

Now what to do with all this memorabelia (spelling?). The photos were kept in dry scrap books in a box in the bottom of a dark closet. They are in great condition! I don't want to ruin that, but I also want to feel free to browse them now and again. Any possible advice would be appreciated. I have newspapers ready to turn to dust that are very cool as well I'd like to preserve. I wonder, you know, would anyone or the museum be interested in having photos of the things or copies of photos or something? I don't know about these things. I live 6 hours from the museum.

I know this sounds odd, but ... well I took photos of the set ups at the funeral home. Even of the casket and all for myself. I am thinking of making a video tape of the scrap books by setting up the camera on a tripold and then slowly going through the scrap book on film for however long it takes to do so. I haven't looked through our site here much ... is there sections for photos and videos for people? I mean are people interested in such things here or no?

Guys thank you so much for the cards. Wow did it help. They were one of the things that boosted him in the end when he made progress before he became infected with C-Diff. It really helped us all to see them in fact.

I still cant' believe he's gone ...

Rebecca



Rebecca Stout

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29navy

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of 29navy  Posted on: Jul 14, 2010 - 6:45pm
Rebecca,

You have my deepest sympathy on Bob's passing. It is quite a shock.

Take pictures of everything, make copies of the newspapers that are starting to dry out, scan what pictures you want, we have places we can post here and we can all share his memories with you.

When you are ready, his PT memoribilia and photos should be sent to the PT Boats, Inc. headquarters in Germantown, Tennessee or at our museum in Fall River, Mass..


Charlie Jones

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