Kenneth D. (Kenny) Bender, age 77, of Normal, IL, passed away Tuesday evening, December 11, 2007 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Bloomington. He married Martha Heinzelman on May 29, 1950, and she preceded him in death on March 24, 2007. Kenny was also preceded in death by his Parents, Sisters: Stella and Lova and Brother: Russell. He is survived by son Paul Edward Bender, also of Normal, IL and grandson Anthony Mario DeGuerre and his wife Marcia of Staten Island, NY. Kenney was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Order of the Eastern Star.

Kenny was born on April 4, 1930 in Burrsville, in Piatt County, the son of Casper Bender and Clara Zartman Bender. His paternal grandparents were Henry Binder and Maria Thoricht Binder and his maternal grandparents were Rinaldo Zartman and Mary Elizabeth Werner Zartman.

Until his retirement in 1986 Kenny was engaged in farming in Moultrie County, where his abilities were well known by neighbors in need of equipment repair or a helping hand in the field, as well as by the township road department when the roads needed to be oiled in the summer and when snow needed to be plowed in the winter. His reputation for farming extended to seed companies that contracted with him to grow foundation soy beans as well as to a young neighbor, Jack Redfern, who began tagging along with Kenny on the farm, helping in the field and learning lessons on the way Americans get work done. Upon retiring, Kenny and Martha moved to Champaign and joined their son Paul, where Kenny drove a school bus for the Champaign School District. In the urban setting, Kenny applied his agricultural experience to gardening and lawn care, and his mechanical skills made him the neighborhood "handy man" when something broke and the "go to guy" for advice on those "do it yourself" projects. With the arrival of the computer age, Kenny applied his skills to hardware upgrades and assemblies of components. When the family moved to Normal in 1997, word of Kenny's skills spread quickly through the neighborhood.

Kenny and his wife Martha enjoyed traveling, which included a trip to the British Isles. Kenny's cooking was well known to family and friends who visited them, with Martha readily attributing the delicious meals to Kenny's contributions. Kenny was a basketball fan and Chicago Cubs baseball fan. He began taking his son Paul to high school basketball games at an early age. This shared interest continued throughout his life and he continued to follow Bradley University basketball, as well as Cubs baseball, with his son Paul up to the time of his death. Regarding politics, Kenny often joked that his favorite President would have to be Nixon for the reason that his grain deal with Russia drove up the price of soy beans to the point that he could afford to send his son to law school. In his later years, Kenny enjoyed watching westerns, especially Gunsmoke. Kenny shared his love for dogs with Martha and Paul. Over the years, a bulldog, Timmy, and later a schnauzer, Heinrich, enjoyed life in the Bender residence. Kenny leaves a lively schnauzer, Pepper, in the able custody of Paul.

Funeral Services celebrating his life will be held at 10:30 A.M., Saturday, December 15, 2007 at the Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home, 66 East US Highway 36, Atwood, IL. Masonic Services will be held at 7:00 P.M., Friday, December 14, 2007 at the funeral home with visitation following from 7:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. Burial will be in the Mackville Cemetery, Atwood, IL.

Memorials are suggested to the Piatt County Animal Shelter, 306 North Buchanan, Monticello, IL 61856

Condolences to the family may be sent to hilligossshraderfh.com