January 2, 1917 - August 12, 2016 EDMOND

Earl Leroy Benne was born January 2, 1917, to William and Katie Benne. He passed
away peacefully on August 12, 2016, in his home. He was one of twelve children
who grew up on a farm in NW Oklahoma City, which allowed his family to survive
the Depression. He attended a Carson School, a one-room schoolhouse, and
graduated from the 8th grade from Chisholm School. As was then common, he went
to work for farmers in the area. When he was 18, he began work in the oil fields
for contractors.

Two years later, he started working for Conoco with a team of horses. In
February 1942, Earl married Lenore Brown in Sayre, OK as they made their way to
California. There, he worked on the B-24 bombers. He was drafted that year by
the Army and reported for duty on October 5, 1942, at Camp Gruber in Muskogee,
OK, where he was assigned to F Company, 351st Infantry, 88th Division. After
training in Oklahoma and Texas, he landed in Oran, North Africa, in December
1943. Earl's Company moved to the front lines in Italy in late February 1944,
where he participated in several missions. On May 11, 1944, the big push started
to retake Italy. His Company started out with 246 soldiers. On May 12, 1944, he
was captured by the Germans. He was among the 34 men who had survived. His time
as a POW was difficult and he endured much. Earl lived as a POW until April 22,
1945, when his camp was liberated by the Russians. The Americans arrived May 6,
1945. He was honorably discharged in November 1945. His service to the USA is
greatly appreciated by his entire family.

After his return, he and Lenore adopted a son, Robert Eugene. Earl described
this as one of the happiest days of his life. Earl was very proud of his son. He
was a dedicated father and husband. Earl returned to work at Conoco Oil Company
until his retirement. He was a loyal employee who always did the very best job
he could do. He took great pride in how he did his job, which was recognized and
appreciated by his fellow employees. Lenore died in 1976 after a three-year
illness. Throughout this very difficult time, Earl continued to be dedicated to
his work. In 1985, he married Adelina Tonguette, who preceded him in death by
just over two weeks. When Earl retired from Conoco, he started his "second
career." He loved horses. He was proud of the many first place ribbons he won at
the Oklahoma State Fair. He drove a covered wagon to advertise for Cattlemen's
Steak House (his favorite). He was a regular in Edmond's 4th of July parades.
His favorite passenger in the surrey was Mrs. Brooks, Garth Brooks' mother, whom
he described as a really nice woman. He worked parades in Guthrie and many other
cities. He pulled a trolley car for special events at the Cowboy Hall of Fame
with his air conditioned tractor to be more comfortable. He had a surrey made
for himself, white and red with the fringe on top! Many family members and
newlyweds enjoyed riding it. Earl was friendly to everyone who worked the events
or who rode on his wagons.

At the age of 90, he decided it was time to retire. Earl will be remembered for
being a good son, husband, father, grandfather and brother. His generosity and
caring nature affected many family members and many others. Earl was preceded in
death by his parents; his first wife, Lenore; his wife, Adelina; three brothers,
William, Lewis, and Delbert; and five sisters, Helen (Moore), Ruth (Paine),
Shirley (Spencer), Frances (Dillard), and Betty (Provence). He is survived by
his son, Bob Benne and his wife Pam; grandchildren, Ara Hickey (David), Kate
Pogue (Korby), and Drew; and seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by
his brother, Carl (Mary Lou) Benne; sisters, Mary Anne Lane and Oneta McDaniel;
Adelina's daughter, Zaida Shilling; numerous nieces and nephews; and many
godchildren. The family wishes to thank Phyllis, Paula, Mikke, Tyler, and Sonya
for their care at home and Amber and Minister Gene Owens and the volunteers of
Companion Hospice. Special thanks to family members who were so caring of Earl:
Carl Benne, Oneta McDaniel and Kimberly Benne-Gray - without their assistance,
Earl's wish to stay in his home would not have been possible - and to Maria in
Earl's own words, "I couldn't have asked for a better friend." Earl will be
greatly missed by his family and all who knew and loved him. We will always
carry your memory in our hearts.

Visitation will be August 19, 2016, 5-8 p.m. Services are at Matthews Funeral
Home, 601 S. Kelly Ave., Edmond, OK, August 20, 2016, 10 a.m. Burial to follow
at Gracelawn Cemetery, Edmond, OK.

Published in The Oklahoman on Aug. 17, 2016