Hugh Benedict

Hugh C. Benedict, age 90, passed away at Wynwood of Madison West on Monday March 12, 2012. Hugh was born on September 21, 1921, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the son of Arthur D. and Elsie Ida Benedict. He married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Elsie Mae Graf, on February 7, 1942, in Fond du Lac.

Hugh served on active duty with the U.S. Army from June 1942 to August 1946, becoming a commissioned officer in January 1943. During World War II he did field artillery training at various posts around the country. Happily, Elsie was able to travel with him to these posts. Traveling by train and later by car they broadened their world, appreciated the beauty in our country, and made many long lasting friendships along the way.

After the war they returned to Fond du Lac where Hugh studied accounting under the G.I. Bill. They moved to Madison in 1948 where he passed the Certified Public Accountant exam and worked for Ronald Mattox and Associates. He then worked as controller for Wisconsin Furnace Company, later named Temperature Systems, Inc. (TSI). He retired in 1985. He was very proud of TSI and of being part of the company's foundation building that made it the success it is today. Privately, he also did accounting for friends who had started their own small businesses. He was active in various professional organizations including the American and Wisconsin Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, and the Madison Association of Credit Management, of which he was a past president. All the while, he remained in the Army Active Reserve until 1977, attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel, and then in the Retired Reserve until 1981.

Hugh always enjoyed new experiences. Not long before he retired he bought a motor scooter and then moved up to a motorcycle. After retiring he bought and learned how to use a personal computer, sampled a few classes at the U.W., and even took a hot air balloon ride. Hugh had great skill in the workshop and could tinker with a car and handle most home repairs. He also enjoyed gardening. A favorite pastime was playing bridge with Elsie in neighborhood and other groups and with relatives and friends.

In retirement, Hugh and Elsie reconnected with old friends across the US, plus enjoyed several wonderful trips to Florida with daughter Willeen's in-laws. Hugh was a devoted husband who took care of Elsie at home and then was with her everyday at the nursing home before she died in 2004. Every year he planted geraniums of her favorite color and wintered over the ones that he could. In later years he was very health conscious and mall-walked for exercise with companions he enjoyed, watched what he ate, and managed his own medications. He lived with his cat, Mootsie, and thought of her and his house and garden helpers, Shirley and Jeff, as good friends. He made good use of the movie collection at the Sequoia Public Library, enjoyed crossword puzzles, and kept current with politics and the financial markets. Hugh also loved stopping in to chat with special people at his banks and where he bought his pampered red Camry, and visiting with staff at his favorite places for lunch. But most of all he cherished time with his family and never failed to tell everyone he met that his and Elsie's greatest pride was their family.

Survivors include two daughters, Willeen (John) Tretheway of Madison, and Suzanne (Tom) Scott of Middleton; two granddaughters, Andrea Scott (Reggie) Davis and Danielle Scott, and a great granddaughter, Adriana Davis, of Madison; a nephew, John (Ann) Benedict of Oregon, Wisconsin; and an extended family of "in-laws and out-laws." He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 62 years, Elsie; and his brother and sister-in-law, Durell and Lenore Benedict.

A funeral service will be held at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Rd., Madison, at 11 a.m. Friday, March 16, 2012, with Pastor Heather Lampert officiating. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until time of the service. Friends and family are invited to a luncheon immediately following the service in the Cress Gathering Room. Burial at Forest Hill Cemetery will follow the luncheon.

Hugh was admired and dearly loved by his family and will be sadly missed. The family expresses gratitude to his doctor of many years, Dr. Thomas Hyzer, and to those many people at Agrace HospiceCare and Wynwood of Madison West who gave Hugh very special care and gave the family compassion and support, and also to all those who crossed paths with him, especially in his later years, and made his life richer. Memorials may be made to the Sequoia Branch of the Madison Public Library or to Agrace HospiceCare, Madison.