Fare well, Lake Eustis Wayfarer
Ted Benedict W2415

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One of our most beloved Wayfarers, Ted Benedict, is no longer with us. Ted, who sailed out of the Lake Eustis SC, died suddenly at the age of 69 on Nov. 11th, 2013. A keen yet gentle competitor, Ted will be missed by us all. Let us hope that we'll all meet again in that great sailing club in the sky, Ted.

Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 2:25 PM
Subject: Ted Benedict

Dear Lake Eustis Sailing Club member

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Ted Benedict our LESC Wayfarer sailor who passed away Monday evening.

From Mike and Dotty Murto, which I believe reflects the thoughts of all of us:  

Ted has been a member for 13 years and will be missed dearly. He was a good friend to all of us, he could be counted on whenever you needed help. He was a joy on the water and off, being a fair competitor and a gracious winner. 

Fair Sailing Ted, you will always be with us.


From: Al Schonborn <uncle-al3854@cogeco.ca>
Date: 11/13/2013 8:31 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Dotty and Mike Murto
Subject: Ted Benedict

Well said, Dotty and Mike. Ted did indeed provide us with many treasured moments and I for one will always remember him as a truly Corinthian sailor.
 
Best regards,
 
Uncle Al (W3854)

another tribute to the late Ted Benedict (W2415)
From: Trevor Fisher
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 4:55 AM
Subject: Ted Benedict

Hi Uncle Al,
 
I was sorry to hear of the passing of Ted Benedict.  I am usually pretty bad at remembering people when I meet them, but Ted was one of the folks at LESC who made my trip over in 2012 so good. Please pass on my regards to Mike and Dotty Murto, Jim Lingeman and the rest of his friends at LESC, if you get the chance.
 
Best regards,
 
Trevor

Ted Benedict: Adventurer loved traveling the world

(Courtesy of the Benedict…)
November 16, 2013|By Jon Busdeker, Orlando Sentinel

Ted Benedict spent a lifetime learning about the world around him.

Unfamiliar cultures, exotic languages, foreign customs and the natural beauty of distant lands drove Benedict to explore the globe. "Adventurer" is how his family described the man who trekked mountain trails, rafted the rivers of Nepal and spent his free time on his sailboat on Lake Eustis.


"He just loved the world," said daughter Carol Deane B. Mitnick of McLean, Va.

Benedict died Monday, a week after a cardiac arrest. He was 69. Born in Key West, Benedict grew up in New Canaan, Conn. A gifted long-distance runner at New Canaan High School, Benedict, who was also class president, went on to attend the University of Michigan on a cross-country and track scholarship. He studied philosophy, which younger brother Charles Benedict called fitting because it's the "adventure of the mind".

After graduating, Benedict joined the Peace Corps, hoping to see places different from what he was accustomed to in the U.S. He landed in western Nepal, where he helped design and build roads. While there, Benedict learned Nepalese and took up photography. He also learned Japanese, Indonesian and Hindi. So in awe with the land and the people of Nepal, Benedict convinced his brother Charles Benedict to join him on a later trip. More than 40 years later, Charles, of Beloit, Wis., can still recall a rafting excursion that took the brothers to a waterway few Westerners had ever been. "It was not a good idea to go down that river," Charles said.

While traveling Asia and Europe in the late 1960s, Benedict stopped in Istanbul, Turkey, where he met Marjorie Smith. She offered him some bread and honey she had purchased in Greece. "When he stopped eating, he fell madly in love," Marjorie said. The two didn't reconnect until several years later. While in Atlanta, they shared a pizza on their first date and later married in New Orleans in 1976. The couple went on to have four children. The adventures didn't stop for the newlyweds. The couple moved to Indonesia, where Benedict taught English.

In 1981, Benedict and his wife moved to Central Florida when he took a position with Lockheed Martin. Benedict chose to settle in Mount Dora because "it reminded him of New Canaan," his wife said. The area's lakes allowed Benedict to take up sailing. Over time, Benedict, who was a member of the Lake Eustis Sailing Club, amassed a collection of boats and often raced on the weekend. But his wife said he wasn't about winning, though he often placed in local regattas.

The Benedict family, including Benedict's 93-year-old father, Bill of Chapel Hill, N.C, traveled to Alaska in 2011. The following year, Benedict, his wife and his father toured the Great Lakes, stopping at lighthouses and breweries along the way. "He wanted my grandfather to have an adventure as well," Mitnick said.

In addition to his wife, daughter, father and brother, Benedict is survived by his sons T. Robert Benedict, Daniel Benedict and Andrew Benedict, all of Mount Dora; brother John Benedict of Canton, Mass.; sister Laura Benedict Jr. of Durham, N.C.; and one granddaughter.

Allen Harden Funeral Home, Mount Dora, is handling arrangements.




Ted Benedict: a gentleman, a gentle man!
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Ted and W2415 Spirit