Timothy John Scott Bendle

AIKEN, SC - Timothy John Scott Bendle died peacefully Sunday, March 27, 2022 from cancer with his wife Mary at his side.  Tim was a true gentleman and, as a gentleman, he was engaged, present, kind and authentic long before these words became trendy.

Tim was born in 1942 in Lahore, Pakistan where his father was a General in the British Army.  The family took a steamer from India to England when India declared independence from the British Kingdom.  He graduated with his A-levels and began working at ICI in Brussels, Belgium.  After several years, he was transferred to the Chicago office in the late 1960’s and he quickly found himself at a party being teased by a young midwestern woman about his British accent.  She ultimately became his wife and best friend.

Together, he and Mary moved to Toronto to continue his work and in Toronto they thrived.  They were active in the community, living in a lovely, narrow, old home near the city.  Katherine and Matthew were both born during that time in Toronto.

The family moved from Toronto to Chicago where Tim took a position at Morton International.  During his years at Morton, Tim worked long hours and traveled internationally.  He was the man who believed if you can do it yourself, then teach yourself to do it and do it well and do it quietly.

While in Chicago, Tim purchased a cabin on Wildcat Lake in Northern Wisconsin.  After working all week, he’d make the eight-hour drive north to spend the weekend working on the cabin, mountain biking the trails at Dairymen’s where he was a long-time member, cross country skiing with his children and being present with them in the outdoors until it was too dark to see.  At dawn, he started again regardless of the temperature or the weather.  Tim loved the north woods.

He retired from Morton International in 1994 and acquired US Tanker and Fire Apparatus, a manufacturing company in Burlington, Wisconsin that made custom tanker trucks for rural fire departments.  Tim was the first to open the doors at 5:00am and the last to leave, six days a week.  He grew the business, ultimately opening a market in China. In 2010, he retired, and he and Mary moved from their home in East Troy, Wisconsin to Aiken, South Carolina.

In Aiken, Tim was a sharp golfer and active in the community.  He was well known as a walker on the course. He played weekly with his men’s group and weekly with Mary.  He was a mentor to young entrepreneurs through the Aiken chapter of SCORE, an active member of the South Carolina Bluebird Society and a member of Woodside Country Club.

Tim is survived by his wife and best friend, Mary Bendle, his daughter Katherine Bendle Johnson (John) and his son Matthew Scott Bendle (Wendy).  He is also survived by his five grandchildren whom he loved deeply and dearly:  Eloise, Charlie and Lily Johnson; Sage and August Bendle.

The funeral will be held on April 9^th at 2:30 pm in St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, Aiken. The service may be live-streamed here: https://vimeo.com/event/2009920  

In lieu of flowers or other donations, please direct any donations in memory of Tim to either the South Carolina Bluebird Association, PO Box 5151, Aiken, SC 29804 -or- North America Bluebird Society, PO Box 7844, Bloomington, IN 47407.

The family remembers Tim (G-Pa) as the person we all should aspire to be.  He never wanted to be the center of attention, but quietly worked so others could benefit.  He was and is a true gentleman.

SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC 29801