Peter Edward Benet

Maj. Peter Edward Benet, USMC ret, 83, of Weatherford, TX passed away Sunday evening, July 24, 2016 after a protracted illness.

Visitation to be held from 5PM to 7PM Wednesday July 27, at Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Home, 913 N Elm Street, Weatherford, TX.

Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 2PM Thursday, July 28, at St Stephen Catholic Chapel, 211 S. Main Street, Weatherford, TX.

Internment with Military Honors will be in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. 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 know 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.

Pete is survived by his wife, Gayle; children, Stephen Edward (Geneva) Benet, Michael William (Trudy) Benet, Richard Brian (Beverly) Benet, Julie Lynn (Stephen) Taylor, and Karen Susan (Stephen) Howell, 11 grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, his brother-in-law Stanley Stephenson of Pittsburgh, and five nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Peter was preceded in death by his sister Mary Stephenson and his nephew Michael Stephenson.

His thirty 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.