Honoring Daniel Lee Benedict

Dec 30, 1936- Dec 6, 2017

Daniel "Dan" Benedict former Executive Director of SPFA passed away the afternoon of December 6, 2017 at the age of 81.   Dan’s contributions to the SPF industry are many and can’t be counted on one page.  From 1990 to 2007 Dan worked selflessly for the Spray Polyurethane Foam Industry helping to develop industry specifications and guidelines as Staff Director for the Literature Review Committee of PFCD (Polyurethane Foam Contractors Association) that later become the SPFA’s Technical Committee. He coordinated and promulgated much of the research on the performance of SPF that helped to show the many benefits of spray foam applications.  His steady leadership as Executive Director enabled our industry to become more accepted and mainstream in the roofing and insulation construction community.  The greater respect for SPF applications combined with research and professional guidelines helped spur the massive growth of SPF applications in the years after his retirement.  

Dan was born in Kansas City, Kansas in 1936.  As a young adult he played violin in a professional orchestra in Chicago and was a very talented artist. After high school, Dan worked as a draftsman for the Bendix Corporation. Dan’s call to duty came in 1956 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was a proud member of the Screaming Eagles, the 101st Airborne Division, where he was a combat engineer, demolition specialist, and paratrooper. After his service, he spent most of his career working in the painting and waterproofing industries in five different states, and owned his own paint store and an industrial coatings company for several years before moving to Washington to work with PFCD.

Dan’s patriotism and devotion to his family were evident in every aspect of his life.  Dan enjoyed working on projects around the house, tinkering with electronics, and cooking and grilling for family and friends.  During his retirement, he devoted countless hours leading with service to his community, most recently as a member of the Lake of the Woods Lions Club.  He continued to play the violin at impromptu events, including a local bluegrass group and at family gatherings.  

He was a dedicated family man and his legacy will live on in his ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild: Daiven and Daniel Emling, sons of Karla Benedict Truelove (m. Jim Truelove), Michelle Gibbs and Erik Benedict, children of Ted Benedict (m. Jennifer Behrens), Tyler McNally, Grayson and Ethan Benedict, sons of Troy Benedict (m. Hanna Schlesiger), and Angela, Audrey, and Landon Benedict, children of Kyle Benedict (m. Christina Spellerberg), and Jade Emling, daughter of Daiven Emling (Ashley Baker).

A private celebration of Dan’s life will be held on Thursday, December 28, 2017. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lake of the Woods Lion’s Club or the Lake of the Woods Fire and Rescue Company, Inc. 

-Mason Knowles

 

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