Dennis Neil 'Denny' Benda

Dennis Benda, age 77, of St. James passed away on Monday, March 22, 2021 at Living Meadows at Luther in Madelia. Funeral services will be 1pm, Thursday, April 1, 2021 at the United Methodist Church in Madelia with Rev. Clinton Firstbrook, III officiating. Covid precautions of face masks and social distancing will be followed. Burial will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery in St. James. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4-8pm at Sturm Funeral Home in St. James and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Dennis Neil Benda was born April 29, 1943 in Mountain Lake, MN, the son of John and Cecelia (Prokes) Benda. Denny grew up on the family farm west of Darfur. He graduated from Comfrey High School in 1962. After high school Denny moved to the Twin Cities and worked at the Ford plant for several years. On July 24, 1965 he married Diane Durheim at the United Methodist Church in St. James. The couple made their home in Plymouth for several years where he worked, for Ford and several alarm companies in The Cities, before returning to St. James in 1970 when they took over the operation of the Durheim farm. In 1971, Denny installed his first alarm system in St. James and started Gopher Alarm, LLC. He continued both farming, as well as the alarm company, until last November when his health began to fail. Denny had been a member of several alarm business organizations over the years. He enjoyed spending time at their lake home on Long Lake near Park Rapids, enjoyed all the family pets they had over all the years, spending time outdoors, and collecting and working on vintage tractors. His favorites were old Ford tractors, Oliver and John Deere tractors. His true love was farming the land and his tractors were the hobby that grew out of that love. Farming was his time of solace and relaxation, while designing alarm systems and interacting with customers, many of whom became his good friends, were his means of recharging his inner batteries. He loved to listen to clients and design systems to meet their specific needs, never content to use a cookie-cutter approach. Dennis is survived by his wife Diane of St. James, son Bryan of St. James, siblings; Dave Benda of Excelsior Springs, MO, Bobbi Siebert of Lake San Marcos, CA, Jan (Darrell) Kent of Issaquah, WA, Greg (Lovonne) Benda of Madison, SD, Tom (Ann) Benda of Windom, Marguerite Revers of Omaha, NE, Gerrie (Dennis) Baarson of Saugatuck, MI, Marc Benda (life-long companion-Jeri McDonald) of Vallejo, CA, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother-in-law Al Revers, a nephew and 2 nieces. Visitation 1 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Wednesday, March 31, 2021 Sturm Funeral Home, St. James Chapel 906 - 10th Ave. S. St. James, Minnesota, United States 56081 Visitation 2 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Thursday, April 1, 2021 United Methodist Church, Madelia 106 Center Ave. N Madelia, MN, Minnesota, United States 56062 Service Information 1:00 pm Thursday, April 1, 2021 United Methodist Church, Madelia 106 Center Ave. N Madelia, MN, Minnesota, United States 56062 Interment Information Mt. Hope Cemetery, St. James S. CR 27 St. James, Minnesota, United States 56081