Obituary of Peter William Benz

Peter William Benz, 68, of 211 21st Avenue No., Wisconsin Rapids, passed away Friday morning, June 8, 2012 at his residence following a courageous battle with cancer. Pete was born January 10, 1944 in Wisconsin Rapids to Gilbert and Adeline (Deisburg) Benz. He attended Sacred Heart Grade School and graduated from Assumption High School in 1962. He then attended the University of Minnesota and UW-Madison. On April 22, 1967, Pete was married his childhood friend and sweetheart Barbara Molepske in Rudolph. The couple was blessed with 45 years of marriage and two children, Jennifer and Casey. Pete managed the men?s and boy?s clothing department at Woolco for 14 years, before joining Consolidated Papers Inc. in 1981, where he was a shift supervisor in the pulp mill at the Biron Division. He retired in 2000 after 20 years of service. Pete loved being the captain of his boat, guiding the vessel around the water while Barb fished. He also enjoyed motorcycling and his La-Z-Boy and TV remote. He was a Ham Radio operator for 35 years, and his call sign was WB9-ZEK. Pete especially loved his children and grandchildren and his granddogs, Zeus and Daisy. He will always be remembered for his sense of humor, storytelling, and for being fair to others. Pete is survived by his wife Barbara; two children, Jennifer Benz (Jon Peters) of Wisconsin Rapids and Casey (Stephanie) Benz of Vesper; four grandchildren: Delaney Benz of Wisconsin Rapids, Gibson Benz of Vesper, Nicole Mashek of Wisconsin Rapids, and Calvin Mashek of Stoughton; his beloved mother-in-law, Helen ?Ma? Molepske of Rudolph; brothers-in-law, Dennis (Jeanne) Molepske of Rudolph, Michael Molepske of Wisconsin Rapids, and Jeffrey Molepske of Nahma, Michigan; sister-in-law, LuAnn (Clay) Poler of Wisconsin Rapids; many nieces and nephews and extended family; and so many faithful, loyal and true friends. He was predeceased by his parents, father-in-law, Clarence Molepske, brother-in-law, Paul Molepske, and his nephew and godson, Scott Molepske. A memorial service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 14th at Taylor, Vollert and Jennings Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until the time of services on Thursday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations will be made in Pete?s name by the family to his favorite charities and organizations. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the UW Cancer Center staff and Dr. Ron Kirschling for their exceptional care and thoughtfulness, and to Ministry Home Care and Hospice, Dr. Mercedes De Las Alas and the staff of Riverview Family Clinic, and Dr. Dan Lucas and staff at Riverview Imaging.