Ronald Dwight Bentley, a lifelong resident of Grangeville, passed away Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, from natural causes at 77.
Ron was born to Fredrick “Fred” and Arbutis “Rusty” Bentley on Jan. 26, 1947. He was the third of four children. Of his siblings, his baby sister Mary Ellen, passed as an infant, and his oldest sibling Betty Garlinghouse (Bentley) preceded him in death. He is survived by his older brother Larry (Sandie) Bentley, who currently resides in Woodland, Wash.
Ron went all 12 years of school in Grangeville, graduating from Grangeville High School in 1965. He played drums in the high school band. In his youth, he and his brother Larry would spend weekends and time during the summers at the family homestead near Gill Point. After high school, Ron participated in local rodeos as a saddle bronc rider and worked in the timber industry as a “hooker” and truck driver. He enlisted in the National Guard in 1964 and was off to basic training right after graduation. Ron was deployed as a member of the 116th Engineer Battalion, where he served in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a soldier and began his career as a truck driver.
He married Cheryl Kinney during the “Summer of Love” in August 1967, and soon thereafter gained a son, Kevin Bentley, currently of Clarkston. The two later divorced. He then met Julie Udlinek and gained two daughters, Becky Snider, currently of Lewiston, and Mary Winter who preceded him in death. Ron and Julie were married April 1, 1979, but later divorced.
Ron loved his Redskins football, jet boat and NASCAR racing. He also loved spending time with a group of lifelong tight-knit friends talking about local politics, gossip and lighthearted banter. They also spent time camping, fishing, and hanging at the river with their families. During his career as a truck driver, he drove long haul and ran the South Fork lumber route from Elk City to Kooskia alongside lifelong friend Jimmy Gortsema, but he genuinely loved driving log truck.
Ron is survived by his brother Larry (Sandie) Bentley, of Woodland, son Kevin (Aleta Stephens) Bentley, of Clarkston, and daughter Becky (Jack) Snider, of Lewiston; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Betty and Mary, and daughter, Mary.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, April 26, in Grangeville. Short’s Funeral Chapel of Moscow and Blackmer Funeral Home of Grangeville are both in charge of arrangements.
