Ernest “Ernie” L. Benton

Col. Ernest L. Benton, USAF (Retired)
Ernest (best known as Ernie) Benton was born and raised in rural Arkansas on July 30, 1925 and passed away peacefully on February 27th, 2018. Memorial service: 2:00 PM, Friday, March 2, 2018, Wiley Funeral Home Chapel, Granbury.
Ernie grew up during the Great Depression and enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Through a series of fortunate events he made it into pilot training. He was too tall to fit in a fighter plane, so he became a bomber pilot.
He had a 32-year career in the US Air Force and always said he loved every minute of it. He flew the B-17, B-29, B-50, B-47, and B-52. The majority of his career he served in the Strategic Air Command defending America during the Cold War. He retired as a full Colonel in 1975.
Ernie met Julia (Ellie) Thomas when he was stationed at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ after WWII. They married and had two daughters, Lisa and Laura. Over the next 30+ years they were a typical military family moving every few years to new assignments.
Ernie and Ellie moved to De Cordova Bend Estates in Granbury in 1979. They enjoyed golfing and making new friends and had an active social life. After Ellie passed away in 1983, Ernie stayed at De Cordova and married Betty Richardson in 1985.
He and Betty enjoyed traveling all over North America in their motor home for many years. They became quite fond of Ruidoso, NM and spent many summers there escaping the Texas heat.
Ernie will be remembered for sitting out in front of his house, visiting with friends and waving to passersby. He was famous for greeting friends by saying “Hey Hoss, pull up a chair and tell me how the cow ate the cabbage”. He loved to tell stories about his flying days and growing up in Arkansas.
He is survived by his wife Betty and her daughter Nikki Murphy in Ruidoso NM and his daughters Lisa Larson and husband Randy in Colorado Springs, CO and Laura Patterson and husband Bill in Kanab, UT.