Obituary of Daniel F. Bentley

Daniel F. Bentley, 93, formerly of 68 Fluvanna Avenue, Jamestown and the Frewsburg Rest Home, died at 7:45 a.m. Sunday, November 30, 2014, in the Heritage Green Rehab and Skilled Nursing Facility. He was born in Jamestown, NY, on February 13, 1921, the oldest of four children of William J. and Bertha Gloor Bentley. He was a 1939 graduate of Jamestown High School and attended the University of Buffalo. Dan served in the United States Army during World War II as a laboratory technician with the 59th Evacuation Hospital. His service took him through North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. He was one of the first Americans to enter the German concentration camp at Dachau after the Nazis were driven out, and his job there was to test the thousands of prisoners for typhus. After the war, Dan joined the Jamestown Police Department in 1949. He retired in 1984 with the rank of Captain, and also served as Assistant Police Chief and Acting Chief during his career. He was known as a level-headed police officer who could keep people calm in potentially tense situations. He was also sympathetic to the less fortunate, and would often give money or other help to those that he met in the course of his job. Dan Bentley had many interests. He was an authority on railroading, and could identify any locomotive he saw by manufacturer, horsepower, and other details. With his passing, a wealth of knowledge of steam engines has been lost. He was also an avid model railroader, with a large layout in his basement, that was built and rebuilt as HO or N scale several times. He enjoyed target shooting and reloading, and was a lifetime member of the Jamestown Rifle Club. After his retirement from the police department, Dan developed an interest in bicycling, and kept a daily log of his rides of several thousand miles a year. One of his favorite stops while cycling was the Bemus Point Inn, and even in later years when his rides were shorter, he made the 10-mile ride from Jamestown 2 or 3 times a week. Finally in 2008, at the age of 87, he retired from bicycling. Dan loved children, and they always found him very entertaining. He was well-known at Washington Middle School, where for many years he gave an annual presentation on his WW II experiences. He also volunteered regularly at Washington helping students with reading difficulties. Surviving are three sons, Paul W. (Judy) Bentley and Thomas M. Bentley of Jamestown, Richard K. Bentley of Erie, PA, a daughter, Kathryn E. (Stephen) Schultz of Valley View, OH, and four grandchildren, Susan E. Bentley of Jamestown, NY, Jennifer K. Bentley of Arlington, VA, Adriano (Teresa) Schultz, of Merrillville, IN, and Leandro (Sara) Schultz, of Cary, NC. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret M. Bentley, whom he married on July 22, 1950, and who died September 26, 2014, an infant son in 1951, and a son, Daniel J. Bentley, in 1972. He was also preceded in death by his two brothers, William G. Bentley and Chautauqua County Sherriff John R. Bentley, and his sister, Suzanne Erickson. The funeral will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday in the Lind Funeral Home. The Rev. Donald E. Ray, pastoral associate at First Presbyterian Church will officiate. Burial will be in the Holy Cross Cemetery. Friends will be received from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday in the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the James Prendergast Library, 509 Cherry St., Jamestown, NY 14701. Dan was happy in his time at the Frewsburg Rest Home, and his family thanks the staff there for making that possible. We are also grateful to the staff at Heritage Green for their compassionate care during his last months.