Leonard Michael Benedict

Leo “Butch” Benedict was a huge pain in the ass - world-renowned for his lack of patience and stubborn as hell - but he was also fiercely loyal, had a generous heart and was always looking out for the little guy. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

After spending his childhood in Amherst driving his sisters Mary and Nancy crazy, Leo followed in the footsteps of his big brother Corky and volunteered for service in the USMC right out of high school. He immediately realized he didn’t like being told what to do, but loved being a Marine. This especially became apparent when his platoon took on heavy fire and he was hit in the arm and neck, missing his jugular vein by a hair. He insisted on maintaining radio communications and helped evacuate his fellow Marines before submitting to evacuation himself.Leo received a Purple Heart and The Bronze Star, but when asked about it, he would always shrug and say it was just a scratch, no big deal.

He met his wife Becky, the love of his life, while he was out on the town with his rambunctious buddies. He didn’t make the best first impression and it was only thru his tenacious, unrelenting perseverance that he finally got her to agree to go out on one date with him - if he promised not to ask again. They were married for 33 years, until Becky passed away in 2004. His daughters would like their mom to know they did their best to take care of him and keep him out of her hair for as long as they could.

He taught his daughters to stand up for themselves, appreciate what you have, work for what you want and how to fix things. He also taught them that prior to the invention of the remote control, that’s the reason people had kids. He loved stocking their toolboxes and always wondered aloud if “this is what I paid all that money for college for” whenever he felt their judgment was questionable.

Leo loved fishing, the Marine Corps, riding his motorcycle, movies, building things, making stained glass art, cheeseburgers, sweets and animals. He also enjoyed endlessly teasing family, friends and strangers alike, always with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Thru strong will and sheer determination, Leo survived getting shot, multitudes of broken bones, a triple bypass, amputations, Covid, heart attacks, strokes and his daughters’ antics. Even at the end, his nurses would say “Leo does what Leo wants, when Leo wants,” with a sigh of exasperation and a smile. Truer words were never spoken.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 11:00 am at Maple Grove Cemetery, Vermilion.

Instead of flowers, please perform a random act of kindness in Leo’s name. If you’d like to do something else to honor his memory, Leo liked to donate to Forgotten 4-Paws (contactus@forgotten4paws.org)and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation(https://www.mcsf.org/).

Online condolences may be made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com.