Elizabeth E. (Beth) Bender of the Weaton Court community in The Village of Glenbrook in The Villages, Florida, passed away quietly in her sleep early Wednesday (August 16, 2023).
Beth was 82 years old. She suffered from a cancer that had metastasized.
Beth was a quilter, and co-owned a quilt shop in West Chester, Ohio, for several years. After moving to Florida she became a member of the Quilting B’s chapter of The Villages Quilt Guild. She won a number of prizes for her quilting and served as president of the Guild for a year or two. She made quilts for her children and grandchildren and was making quilts for her great-grandchildren when she passed.
Beth also was for many years the keeper of the communication list for “the Weaties,” residents of the Weaton Court area of The Village of Glenbrook, a task that helped keep neighbors in touch.
Born in North Judson, Indiana, the daughter of Janet and Richard M. Downey, she was a graduate of Purdue University. Something of a basketball fanatic, she was fiercely loyal to the Purdue basketball team.
She contributed to a number of charities, many of them local, most in support of children.
She is survived by her husband, John T. (Tom) Bender, a writer. They celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2023. She, along with Tom, was a member of the Mystery Lovers Book Club of The Villages.
Beth also is survived by the seven children in her blended family, as well as several grandchildren and a few great-grandchildren. Her children include Will Sherwood, MD, of Smithville, Tenn; Bob Sherwood of Centerville, Ohio; Rick Sherwood of Cincinnati; and Betsy Slone, (Mrs.) Sarah Bender, Amy Dunlea, and Jim Bender, all of Cincinnati. Beth’s brother, Jim Downey, lives in Mobile, Alabama.
A “Remembrance of Beth’s Life” will be held, date and time pending.
Contributions may be made in Beth’s name to Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages, Florida.
