More detail on this person: Retired USMC Maj.
Peter Edward Benet, 83, of Weatherford passed
away Sunday evening, July 24, 2016, after a
protracted illness. Service: Mass of Christian
Burial at 2 p.m. Thursday at St. Stephen Catholic
Chapel, 211 S. Main St., Weatherford. Interment:
with military honors in Arlington National
Cemetery, Arlington, Va. Visitation: 5 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday at Galbreaith-Pickard Funeral Home,
913 N Elm St., Weatherford. Memorials: In lieu of
flowers, memorials may be made to either
Wounded Warriors Project or Fisher House
Foundation. Peter was born on May 24, 1933, in
Cienfuegos, Cuba, to Edward and Concepcion
Benet where Edward was serving with the American
consulate. Pete's education took place first in
Cuba and later in Texas, receiving his BA from St.
Edward's University in Austin on May 30, 1954. The
next day he married his sweetheart, Gayle Everett.
Soon after, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and
began to pursue his boyhood dream of flying. Pete
would become a career helicopter pilot and was
probably best known by those he transported,
having served as Marine One pilot for Presidents
Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. He also
had the privilege of picking up the crew and
landing module of Apollo 11 after its return from
our nation's first manned lunar voyage. His most
appreciative passengers were the soldiers he
extracted from combat throughout his two tours
during the Vietnam War. He was decorated with the
Silver Star Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross,
and the Navy Commendation Medal for his skill and
courage in combat. The descriptions of the events
of these episodes read far better than the action
movies of today. After retirement from the Marine
Corps in 1974, Pete and Gayle and their five
children settled in Weatherford. He worked in the
oil business and continued to fly as a hobby,
often taking his family along for the ride. After
he was grounded by his first heart attack in 1986,
he continued to fly various types of model
aircraft together with his sons and grandsons. He
had a wonderful sense of humor and was at his best
cracking jokes with his friends during a round of
golf and traveling with Gayle in their RV. Pete
cherished his family. His many grandchildren and
great- grandchildren loved teasing, laughing and
playing with their PawPaw. His 30-year survival
after his first heart attack is a tribute to the
superior health care he received and our family
would especially like to thank Dr. Syed Nayyar
Shah, Dr. M. Iqbal Mughal, and the numerous other
physicians, nurses, therapists, and assistants who
have contributed to his care. Semper fidelis. In
addition to his parents, Peter was preceded in
death by his sister, Mary Stephenson, and his
nephew, Michael Stephenson. Survivors: Pete is
survived by his wife, Gayle; children, Stephen
Edward Benet (Geneva), Michael William Benet
(Trudy), Richard Brian Benet (Beverly), Julie Lynn
Taylor (Stephen) and Karen Susan Howell
(Stephen); 11 grandchildren; nine
great-grandchildren; his brother-in-law, Stanley
Stephenson of Pittsburgh; and five nieces and
nephews.
Published in Star-Telegram on July 27, 2016
This information was last updated 07/27/2016
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