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<p><em>Jeffery Charles “Jeff” Benchich</em>, son of Jerome Joseph Benchich Sr. and Bernice Betty (Woods) Benchich, was born in Wyoming, MI on October 30, 1956, the fourth of six boys in his family. When Jeff was 9, his family moved to Grand Rapids, MI. Jeff ranked high in his graduating class at East Kentwood Sr. High, and his academic achievements there led to his appointment to West Point, entering with the Class of 1978 in July 1974.</p>
<p>Assigned to Company F-2, Jeff was a hard-working cadet who burned the midnight oil even beyond the standard set by other cadets. His last two years at the Academy were spent in Company C-3, and he immediately became a respected member. Jeff was an exceptional student who gladly helped any cadet needing academic assistance. He was also heavily involved with the <em>Howitzer</em> and was the circulation editor for three years before becoming editor-in-chief as a senior. Publishing the <em>Howitzer</em> was one of Jeff’s proudest achievements at West Point, and his classmates are forever indebted to him for his leadership and hard work in documenting our years at West Point.</p>
<p>Jeff met his first wife, Carol, in December 1974 on a blind date arranged by their respective roommates at West Point and Ladycliff College. They married in Islip, NY on June 9, 1978. Carol and Jeff raised five wonderful children (Jason, Jordan, Jennifer, Jillian, and Jeffery) during their 26 years of marriage, and they remained best of friends throughout their lives, until his passing.</p>
<p>Following graduation, Jeff was stationed at Fort Benning, GA, assigned to the 43rd Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy). In 1981, Jeff was assigned to the Bridging Branch at Fort Belvoir, VA, where he instructed students and was often asked to coordinate ribbon bridge demonstrations held for members of Congress and high-ranking military officers. One of Jeff’s proudest stories from that time was how, in his last week in the service, he was interviewed by CNN during his final ribbon bridge demonstration. A few days later his father turned on the television and saw his son’s interview. As a lieutenant colonel in the Reserve himself, his father could not have been prouder.</p>
<p>Jeff left the Army in May 1983 and began a highly successful, 34-year-long career with IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY, first in the Resource Planning Department, then in Business Recovery Services, and finally as a Contracts and Negotiations Executive. Jeff led many successful deals with clients that are household names across the United States and Europe. Jeff’s reputation spread quickly and demands for his time and expertise were very high throughout his career. IBM executives frequently requested that Jeff be assigned to their deals, and high-profile clients often asked that Jeff be assigned to the IBM team managing their negotiations. The reason for Jeff’s stellar reputation was, quite simply, his character. Certainly, his leadership, knowledge, expertise, and work ethic played a huge role—he had all of those, too. But his character was inspiring. He was a straight-shooter and instilled confidence and trust in both clients and coworkers.</p>
<p>Always the student, Jeff earned an MBA from Marist College in 1989, attaining the highest GPA in their program that year. He also took the H&R Block Tax Preparation courses in 1989 and 1990 and worked for H&R Block on weeknights as a second job. He supported the local community and served as a well-respected member of the Millbrook Central School Board, where his children attended school, for six years.</p>
<p>Jeff was an avid golfer throughout his life. He was most proud of the rare double eagle he got when he was just 17, and he kept the newspaper article detailing this accomplishment tucked in his wallet. He had a good, hard swing, and his long drives were often memorable. When asked, Jeff would say that his “handicap was [his] short game.” There were many good times at class reunion golf outings, with Jeff leading the way for the C-3 foursome.</p>
<p>Jeff met his second wife, Maggie, at a Millbrook High School basketball game in January 2005. Maggie and Jeff both had sons who played on Millbrook’s varsity squad, and they were introduced at the game by a mutual friend. They began dating in May 2005 and quickly realized that they worked in the same building, same floor, and same hallway at the IBM facility in Poughkeepsie, but they had never met or seen each other at work. Jeff and Maggie moved to the city of Philadelphia in 2015 because it was centrally located to Jeff’s five children, and they were married in a small but beautiful ceremony at home in December 2016.</p>
<p>Jeff felt that his greatest accomplishment in life was raising his five children. In the fall of 2016, when Jeff was sick, he told Maggie he felt very satisfied and that his job on earth was pretty much done. He said he had raised his children. They were good people. They were supporting themselves, doing productive and honest work. They had made good choices for life partners, and they had beautiful children of their own. His job was done. He could die happy. Also, that fall, on December 12, 2016, when Army beat Navy in football after 14 straight losses, Jeff smiled and said to Maggie, “God, you can take me now.” A little over a month later, on January 18, 2017, despite his fighting spirit, Jeff lost his battle with lymphoma.</p>
<p>Jeff was a friend to all who knew him; he was one of a kind and will be missed by all. </p>
<p><em>— Bill Wrinkle, Maggie Benchich, Carol Sapienza, and fellow classmates </em></p>
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