O. T. Bentrup was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on June 15, 1920 to Alfred C. and Mary Elizabeth Hermesmeyer Bentrup, and passed away on November 30, 2010, at his home in Belle Prairie, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings: Raymond, Maurice, Alfred (Dutch), Dorothy, Lloyd, and Donald. He worked as a brakeman, and then as a conductor on the CB&Q Railroad (later the Burlington Northern) from 1940 to 1982, except for the years during World War II when he served in the Third Marine Division. During his time in the Pacific he fought in the invasions of Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima.
He married Patricia Ann DuLany in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 6, 1949 at the Zion United Church of Christ, where both remained members. Patricia survives, along with daughters Susan Johnson (David N.) of Dahlgren, and Jill Heffernan (James P.) of St. Louis; grandchildren Stephanie Heffernan of Columbia, Missouri, Joshua Heffernan and Cora Heffernan of St. Louis, and Ezekiel Johnson of Brookfield, Illinois.
In the top photo we see O.T. on his final run for the Burlington Northern Railroad.This photo was taken on Ray's wedding day in 1932. Ray is the tall one on the left. Lloyd, in front of Ray, died from wounds received on the USS Colorado during the shelling of Tinian in 1944.
Maurice, who was in the SeaBees visited O.T. on Guadalcanal. I don't know if this photo was taken before or after the Bougainville campaign.
O.T. with his younger daughter Jill, in 1957.
Daughter Susan, O.T., and Pat, with dogs Teddy and Liza, planting another tree on the farm.
Uggg. Sorry for your loss. Knowing it was waiting in the wings doesn't make the passing any easier. We'll keep him in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteA great tribute to a great member of "The Greatest Generation". Condolences all around.
ReplyDelete-gsc1039
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for your loss.
Thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts and encouragement. We are seeking normalcy right now after a long struggle. O.T. started on a downhill slide in August, and there wasn't any stopping it, in spite of the efforts of some very good doctors in St. Louis. He fought it hard with the help of Pat and his daughters, but treatments reached an ending place, and he came home for his last few days.
ReplyDeleteMy sister Judy found the obit for O.T. when she googled his name. We are all saddened by his passing. We have such warm memories of Uncle O.T. and the family's visits to California. We send our love and condolences to all, especially Pat. He was a wonderful man.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Janice Bentrup Peetz, Los Gatos, CA
Janice: Thanks for writing! Please e-mail Susan at ohyoukid (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteWe would love to visit with you!
David N aka True BLue Sam