Obituary of Gary L. Benton

Gary L. Benton, age 71 of Wilson, died Thursday April 5, 2018 in Niagara Hospice House in Lockport, after a brief illness.

Gary was born July 11, 1946 in Akron, OH, the son of the late Frank "Hank" and Elizabeth (Brown) Benton and has lived in Wilson since 1949. He was a1964 graduate of Wilson High School and was a Vietnam Veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1967. He continued his service as a Boatswain's Mate in the Naval Reserves at Ft. Niagara until 1969. Gary retired as an Inspector from Verizon in 2001 after 32 years of service. He also was a Bartender for many years at the Wilson Boat House where he got his nickname, "The Fox".

Gary was a member of the Wilson Conservation and the Rushford Lake Conservation Clubs. He was a past member of the Wilson Volunteer Fire Co., the Wilson Lions Club, and a past board member of both the Island and Olcott Yacht Clubs. Gary was an avid fisherman and in1987 he won a boat in the Niagara County Trout & Salmon Derby.

He is survived by his wife, Roxanne (Zastrow) Benton; children, Scott (Jackie) and Brian (Erika) Benton, and Jeanne Miller; step children, Michael (Cristina) Cournyea, Justin and MIchelle Strassburg; a brother, David (Shirley) Benton; a sister, Holly (Tom) Dozier; 12 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.

Friends may call at HARDISON FUNERAL HOME, 3648 Ransomville Road, Ransomville on Monday from 4 - 8 pm. Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, April 10, at 11:00 AM in the funeral home, with the Rev. John Loeser officiating. Burial will follow in the Greenwood Cemetery, Wilson. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Niagara Hospice, 4675 Sunset Dr., Lockport, NY 14094 or to the Wilson Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 Ambulance Fund, P.O. Box 609, 250 Young St., Wilson, NY 14172.