William “Bill” B. Benedict, 81, Sauk Rapids

December 24, 1937 - May 17, 2019

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at Immaculate Conception Church in Rice, MN for William “Bill” B. Benedict who passed away on Friday, May 17th at St. Benedict’s Senior Community in St. Cloud. Rev. Gerald Dalseth will officiate and burial will be at the parish cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services at the church. Arrangements have been entrusted to Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home, Sauk Rapids.

William “Bill” B. Benedict was born on December 24, 1937 to Bernard and Mary (Lutke) Benedict in Ashland, WI. He married his first wife, Nancy Merila, on January 19, 1957. Bill later met Pat Murn in St. Cloud and they married on December 31, 1994 in St. Cloud. After being an Arctic Cat sales rep for many years, he had numerous sales jobs. He worked with Bombardier, Polaris, Thomas Snow Sports, and Miller Auto Plaza. Bill had a passion for snowmobile and stock car racing. Some of his proudest moments were being able to watch his son, Tim, and grandson, Shane, follow in his footsteps with racing. He also enjoyed watching his grandsons and great grandsons play football and hockey as he was an avid football player himself in high school and college. He was very proud of all his family. Bill also collected antique cars. His favorite types of cars were the 1934 Ford and Corvettes. Most importantly, Bill found joy in helping others and impacted a lot of people throughout his life. Bill was a very active leader in the AA program for over 45 years. He was an outgoing man who had a great sense of humor and was always the entertainer.

Bill is survived by his wife, Pat of Sauk Rapids; children, Teresa (Steve) Levinson of Newfolden, MN, Tim (Yvonne) Benedict of Thief River Falls, MN, Bill (Judy) Benedict of Middletown, NJ, and Tom (Lindy) Sabraski of Rice, MN; sister, Mary Kay (Ron) Maasen; brothers, Rick (Paulette) Benedict and Tony Benedict; grandchildren, Kate (Brian) Awsumb, Michael (Julie), Rachel, Erinne, and Christian Benedict, Shane (Katie) Sabraski and Sonja (Matt) Weisman; great-grandchildren, Ingrid and Erik Awsumb, Skyeler, Aerial, and Keizer Weisman, Mason and Braelyn Sabraski. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Pat Slicer; brother, Jim (Joanne) Benedict; brother-in-law, Bill Slicer; and two infant great grandsons, Slade and Brady Sabraski.