IN LOVING MEMORY OF
William G.
Bentley
June 30, 1929 – May 29, 2019
Obituary
William Glenn Bentley, 89, of Mendota, died peacefully on May 29th, 2019 in the Illinois Veterans's Home, LaSalle.
A Celebration of Life will be held June 22, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the Mendota Bible Church with Rev. Brian Kelly officiating. Burial
will be in Van Orin Repose Cemetery with military rites by Mendota VFW Post 4079. Visitation will be from 9:30 until time of services in the church. Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota is assisting the family.
Bill was born on June 30, 1929 in Geneseo to Milford and Opal (McGill) Bentley.
He graduated from LaMoille High school in 1948. He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952,
and served in the Korean conflict. He returned home and married Florence Marie Haas, and
was married for 37 years until her death in 1991.
Throughout the years, Bill worked as a farmer, and a salesmen/serviceman in farming
equipment. He retired from many years at Sundstrand in LaSalle in 1990, but was truly a farmer
at heart, in all his ways. He and Florence were one of the five original couples who founded
Mendota Bible Church. In 1992, he married Carol Rapp and they enjoyed wintering in Arizona
during their retirement years.
Bill enjoyed flying his homebuilt airplane, cruising Route 66 and touring Alaska in his restored
1949 Willy's Jeepster. HIs sense of adventure and never say no attitude took him to many
outdoor wonderlands including a rafting trip down the Colorado River, 4 wheeling in the deserts
of Central Arizona and bike riding through the aspens of Northern Arizona all after the age of 70.
He was grateful to visit the Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C., and took the time to go
to Michigan to pay respects to the grave of a young fellow Marine who died in his arms on the
front lines of the war. His last few years he was loved, honored and gently cared for by the
incredible staff at the Illinois Veteran's Home in LaSalle.
He is survived by his wife Carol, his sister Della Bentley Wade Robertson,
his son Roger (Patti) Bentley; daughters Janean (Jack) Quigley, and Patti (Joel) Spanier,
stepson Steve Rapp and stepdaughter Brenda (Bryan) Ridgley, 15 grandchildren, 2
great-grandchildren and daughter in law Sherry Bentley.
He was preceded in death by his wife Florence, his son Michael (Mick) Bentley,
and grandson Sean Quigley.
In lieu of flowers, the family will appreciate donations to the Mendota Bible Church or Illinois Veteran's Home.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William G. Bentley, please visit our flower store.
Services
Memorial Service
June
22
Mendota Bible Church
Starts at 11:00 am
William G. Bentley's Guestbook
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