John T Bender

John T. (Tom) Bender, formerly of the Weaton Court community in The Villages of Glenbrook in The Villages, Florida, passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 28, 2025, at Hospice of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tom was 92 years old.

Tom was a journalist, a speechwriter, a professor, and for the last 15 years of his life, a novelist.

Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ottis Hunter (Jim) and Marjorie (Brannigan) Bender. His father died when he was 10, and his family moved from a life of privilege to one of struggle. An adventurous child, one summer he and his brother hitchhiked to Yellowstone Park (at his mother’s suggestion) and were hired for the summer, even though they were both below the age requirement. He graduated from the University of Illinois, where he was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, “The Daily Illini,” during his senior year. After graduating, he was drafted into the Army and served for two years during the Korean War, but was sent to Germany helping to track suspected spies, a job that took him all over Europe. After his service, he joined the staff at the “Champaign-Urbana Courier” newspaper and later the “Decatur Herald,” both in Illinois, for about 10 years. During his time as a reporter, he covered the first draft card burning in America as a stringer for “The New York Times.”

He then went to GE Aircraft Engines as a speechwriter, where he worked for 25 years in Cincinnati and Boston. He got a PhD and upon retirement from GE, taught communication in the MBA program at the University of Cincinnati. In 1999, he and his wife Beth moved to The Villages where he began his fourth career as a novelist. He published four mystery novels during this time, the most recent being “Butterfly Ways.” “I’ve been wanting to write books since I was in the fifth grade, and now I’m doing it,” he told “The Villages Daily Sun” in a recent interview.

Tom was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Elizabeth E. (Beth) Bender, and his daughter Sarah Bender, as well as his two brothers, Robert Bender and James Bender. He is survived by six children from his and Beth’s blended family: Betsy Slone, Amy (Fred) Dunlea, and Rick (Terry) Sherwood of Cincinnati; Will (Jen) Sherwood, MD, of Smithville, Tenn.; Bob (Jen) Sherwood of Springboro, Ohio; and Jim Bender of Cincinnati. He also is survived by numerous grandchildren and a handful of great grandchildren.

Tom’s spirit lives on in his family and in his novels. His books can be found at amazon.com/author/tombender or tombenderbooks.com. Proceeds of any books purchased after his death will be donated to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association. His ashes will be scattered in a flower field at his son’s farm in Smithville, Tenn.