Jack Lee Bender
Jack Bender Obituary
Jack Lee Bender, 77, Kokomo, passed away at 6:51 pm Thursday September 6, 2018, at St. Vincent Hospital in Kokomo. He was born October 3, 1940, in Ft. Wayne, the son of Malcolm F. & Della Jean (Land) Bender.
Jack was a 1958 graduate of Kokomo High School, and had attended Purdue University. He was on the wrestling team for both schools where he earned his letter for Kokomo High School. Jack also participated with track and field while in high school. He served with the United States Army National Guard from 1963-1969. Jack worked for PPG, and Shoeffner Cabinetry. He retired as a manager of Don Lowry Bowling Lanes. Jack was a professional bowler and was inducted into the City of Firsts USBC Hall of Fame and is listed in the International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame, and was a member of the PBA, and the 300 Club.
Jack is survived by his father, Malcolm Floyd Bender; sisters, Shirley Bannister, Lauretta (Ronald) Taylor, and Marilyn Lowe; nieces and nephews, Paul (Janelle) Burkett, Crystal (Cory) Gibson, and Joshua (Katie) Taylor; great-nieces and nephews, Wesley Burkett (Kerri Roach), Kristen (Alex) Mecker, Kyra Burkett, Anna Taylor, Adam Taylor, and Amanda Taylor; great-great-nieces and nephews, Bentley Burkett, Waelyn Burkett, and Charlotte Mecker; and his uncle, Richard (Shirley) Bender.
Jack was preceded in death by his mother, Della Jean Bender; grandparents, Nellie & Leroy Land, and Lela & Floyd Bender.
Funeral services will be held at 3:00 pm Friday September 14, 2018, at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home & Crematory, 1315 West Lincoln Road, Kokomo. Burial will follow in Sunset Memory Garden Cemetery with military honors provided by the United States Army and the Kokomo VFW Military Rites Team. Friends are invited to visit with the family from 4-7 pm Thursday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made in Jack’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, 50 E. 91st Street, Suite 100, Indianpolis, IN 46209-4830, or the American Cancer Society, 5635 W. 96th Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46278. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.shirleyandstout.com.
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