July 22, 1932 – September 30, 2023, Jack Bentley, age 91, passed away from complications of dementia and old age.
Jack was born in 1932 in Hoschton, GA, the only child of Morris Calvin Bentley and Ila Lavertos Gordon Bentley. After graduation from Winder High School, Jack attended and graduated from Southern Polytechnic Institute in Marietta, GA with a degree in HVAC systems. While working in this field, Jack was drafted into the US Army. His unit, the 868 Artillery Battalion, was tasked with the managing an M65 atomic cannon, aka “Atomic Annie.” Initially ordered to the war front in Korea, his unit was sent instead to West Germany for a two-year stint. Upon ending his service in the US Army, Jack attended and graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He finished his degree the last graduating year before API changed its name to Auburn University. Jack bled orange and blue for the rest of his live; even dementia did not rob him of the words, “War Eagle”. While at Auburn, Jack met fellow student Betty Jane Hall. They married in 1959 and remained married for 64 years. Jack worked in aviation for the rest of his working life. He worked for several years as a civilian employee of the Air Force in Warner Robins, GA. He moved to Marietta where he worked on the C5A project at Lockheed. He worked for two decades as a structural engineer with the FAA, investigating aviation accidents and becoming a specialist in lighter than air aircraft. He ended his aviation career as the proprietor of an aviation consulting firm, work which entailed travel around the world. Jack is survived by his wife, Betty Jane Hall Bentley, his daughter Vicki Bentley, his son and daughter-in-law Jack and Amy Bentley, his grandsons Jacob and Nicholas, and two cats, Miss Kitty and Taffy.
Graveside Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, GA with Rev. Clyde Self officiating. In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations be made to Chicopee Baptist Church in Gainesville, GA or to the Humane Society of North East Georgia.
To express condolences, please sign our online guest book at www.flaniganfuneralhome.com. Arrangements By: Junior E. Flanigan of Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford, GA (770) 932-1133.
