Administrators Pompeii Posted March 9, 2023 Administrators Share Posted March 9, 2023 Lance B Benton, age 73 of DuBois, PA passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Lance was born on October 24, 1949 in Monterey, CA. He was the son of the late Herbert A. and Evelyn Ruth (Beachy) Benton, the second of four children. He was a graduate of Kittanning Senior High School in 1967 and of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1971. On August 22, 1970 in Kittanning, PA, he married his wife of 52 years, Evelyn L. (Dunmire) Benton. Lance attended IUP and entered the US Army through ROTC. Upon graduation, he entered Armor training school in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He graduated from Armor school near the top of his class, however in 1971 the Army was reducing forces, so Lance was transferred to the PA National Guard to fulfill his military duty. With his career ambition of serving active duty military now unavailable, he found a perfect fit with an Armor unit in Ligonier and he returned to his college job at the Indiana Gazette in the circulation department. Lance retired as Captain of Co. A 1/103rd Armor, 28th Division, National Guard of Ligonier, PA in 1982. While Lance loved his job at the Gazette, he soon learned that he truly wanted to be an entrepreneur. In 1977, Lance began his journey in business. Lance eventually founded Buck’s Pizza with his wife and family which he grew as a franchise across the nation for many years before finally opening local locations in 2010. Lance had a gift for marketing and loved being in business to develop employees and serve customers. He was dedicated to serving food that he was proud to take home to his own family. Besides spending time with his family and friends, Lance enjoyed reading, traveling, hunting, fishing, cooking and clearing his farm property - his fortress of solitude. In Lance’s younger days, he also enjoyed boating, golfing and snow skiing. Lance’s passion for food extended to his home. He loved to feed his family. Food was one of his love languages. Lance had a gift for storytelling and enjoyed a great sense of humor. He was authentic, thoughtful, and caring. No one who met Lance could forget his infectious smile and love for others. Lance was a family man. Family meant everything to him. He is survived by his loving wife, Evy, his two sons, Nathan Benton and Joshua (Wendy) Benton of DuBois PA, and his daughter, Gretchen (Ryan) Meyers of Westfield, NJ. He is also survived by his three siblings, Christian (Alana) Benton of DuBois, PA, Susan (Rip Ballou) Benton of Washington, DC, and Amy (Tom Chase) Benton of Frederick, MD. He has 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild – Brandon (Maggie) Benton, Kayla (Anthony) Black, Laurel Benton, Hunter Benton; Lincoln, Olivia, Naomi and Josephine Meyers; Hank and Julia Benton; and Sienna Black. He is also survived and loved by his wife’s siblings: Denny Dunmire (deceased) and Karen Dunmire, Anne (Terry) Bumpers, Jeanne (Bruce) Watson, Robbie (Bob) Jack, Marian (John) Morris, Kaye (Mike) Woytowish, Arleen (Rob) Pryde, Carole (Greg Wyant) Shepard, Nancy (Tim) Bowser, Laura (Charles) Himes. He is also beloved by many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his in-laws, Robert and Gertrude (Henry) Dunmire. There will be no public visitation. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, March 13, 2023 at 10 a.m. from St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church with Msgr. Richard Siefer as celebrant. Burial will follow in Morningside Cemetery where full military honors will be accorded by the members of the DuBois Area Honor Guard. A celebration of life at Buck’s Pizza will directly follow the mass. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. Memorial donations may be sent to Evelyn Ruth Benton Nursing Scholarship Armstrong County Community Foundation, 220 S. Jefferson St., Suite B, Kittanning, Pennsylvania 16201 Or Tunnels to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard Staten Island, NY 10306.taten The Baronick Funeral Home & Crematorium, Inc. is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences can be made to http://www.baronickfuneralhome.com/condolence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts