Obituary of Leonard Benedetto

Leonard "Lenny" T. Benedetto, 83, of The Orchards at Bartley, Jackson, passed away on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. He was the youngest son of Antonino and Josephina DiBenedetto. He was born in Cairo, NY, and moved to Brooklyn with his mother and brothers before enlisting in U.S. Army during World War II. Lenny was a jewelry business executive for over 40 years and was well respected by his customers and colleagues. He was a voracious reader, a music lover, a strong proponent of education, and he read every section of the New York Times every day. Lenny was a simple man with a generous heart, whose greatest joy was the love of his family and friends. He always found the best in everyone he met. He was a champion of the poor and disenfranchised, and worked throughout his life for peace and social justice. Lenny is survived by his beloved daughters, Sandra, Sherry and Sharon, and their partners, Betsi Gertz, Ron Pagut and Jess Thompson; his step children, Alvin, Edwin, Eduardo and Arlene Benedetto; a brother; James Benedetto and grandsons, Brad, Tyler, Thomas, Jack, Samuel, Mikey and Carlos and many other family members and friends. Lenny was a fine human being and a role model for many. He was a gift and will be deeply missed. Visiting at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road, (Route 524) Freehold Township, on Saturday, February 27th, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. His funeral service will follow at 3:00 PM at the funeral home when everyone is welcome to share a memory of Lenny. For those who desire, memorial contributions in Lenny's name may be made to the following charities: Hope for Haiti Now, FILE 1372, 1801 West Olympic Blvd., Pasadena, California 91199-1372, Doctors Without Borders USA, PO Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741 or your local Humane Society (www.humanesociety.org). For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.