William Bruce Bender

William Bruce Bender, 87, passed away Sunday, May 9, 2010 at his residence in Naples, Florida where he and his wife had lived for the past 28 years. He was born and reared in Chattanooga, Tennessee and spent his professional life in Cleveland before retiring to Naples. He attended the public schools of Chattanooga and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He served with the 101st Division during World War II. In 1969 he and his wife founded Bender Realty, a leader in local real estate. He served at President of the Tennessee Association of Realtors in 1978. He was a member of St. Williams Catholic Church of Naples. He was the son of the late James William Bender and Ellen Bruce Gray Bender. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Janet Jones Bender of Naples, who was also his caregiver and stayed by his side until the time of his death. His sister, Lillian Linn of Chattanooga, brother-in-law, Hal Jones of Jacksonville, Florida and several nieces and nephews also survive him. A private graveside service was held at Sunset Memorial Gardens. The family requests that memorials be made to the Alzheimer?s Association, 7625 Hamilton Park Drive Suite 8, Chattanooga, TN 37421. We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Bender family guestbook at www.ralphbuckner.com. Ralph Buckner Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.