John E. Bentley

John E. Bentley, 85, of St. Joseph, passed away, Thursday, December 26, 2019 at Spectrum Health Lakeland in St. Joseph. Arrangements are entrusted to Starks & Menchinger Chapel, St. Joseph. Memorial donations in John’s name may be made to the St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center. Those wishing to sign John’s Memory Book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. John was born February 14, 1934 in Kingston, New York to John & Inez (Bishop) Bentley. He graduated from Windham Central High School, Class of 1952, and went on to earn a degree in agriculture. John served his country in the US Army, and on April 12, 1958 he married the former Madeline Swift in Rockport, New York. John was employed for many years as a manager at Gerber Baby Foods in Rochester, New York and later at Hanover Brands in Pennsylvania. After moving to St. Joseph, he and Madeline owned & operated Land of Dreams Bedroom Furniture in Benton Harbor. John was an active member of St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center. In his free time, he enjoyed tending to his yard and flowers, reading, walking and building scale model buildings of hometown businesses he remembered. John was an honest man of the highest integrity in whatever he did, and most of all, a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. John is survived by his wife Madeline; two sons-John R. (Noemi) Bentley of St. Joseph, Jim (Renee) Bentley of St. Joseph; two grandchildren-Barbara (Peter) Hamlington & Ian (Amanda) Bentley; his great-granddaughter Ada Hamlington; his sister-in-law Edie Bentley of Windham, NY; and several nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother Raymond Bentley.