Edward Benner

Mr. Edward N. Benner, age 87, of Greenville, passed away early Wednesday morning, June 27, 2007 at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. The son of Francis & Carrie (Flint) Benner, he was born on June 25, 1920 in Riverdale. After graduating from high school, Ed served his country during World War II with the U.S. Army in the Asia-Pacific theatre. Under General Douglas MacArthurs command, he helped liberate the Philippine Islands, and then served with Army of Occupation in Japan. On May 27, 1944, in Marysville, California, he married Evelyn Sherwood. Ed retired from the Grand Trunk Railroad where he worked in maintenance. In Greenville, he had been a member of both the Cleveland-Wolverton Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Ray I. Booth American Legion posts. He was preceded in death by his parents; four sisters, Belva, Carrie, Ida, and Beulah; and four brothers, Nathan, Charles, Fred, and Lem. Surviving are his wife, Evelyn Benner of Greenville; his daughter and son-in-law, Vikki & Pat Merren of Greenville; three grandchildren, Michael & Danell Merren of Rockford, Jonathon & April Merren of Belding, and Meggin & James Mollo of Greenville; eight great grandchildren, Micah, Kaiah, and Maya Merren, Zachary, Alexander, Maxwell, and Jackson Merren; and Jade Mollo; and several nieces and nephews. Private family services were held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 2, 2007 from the chapel of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, 3000 Monroe Avenue N.E., with the Rev. Michael Fairbrother and the Rev. Fr. Michael Merren, officiating. Military honors were rendered by the Kent County Veterans Honor Guard, with burial following in the Grand Rapids Veterans Cemetery. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Edward Benner, please visit our flower store.