Benjamin F. Deering

Benjamin Franklin Deering, 66, of Carmel, Indiana died Thursday, May 27, 2010. He was preceded in death by his parents; an older brother, Robert, of Noblesville, Indiana; and a younger brother, John, of Acton, Indiana. He is survived by his wife, Linda Hodge Deering; a daughter, Jennifer Deering, and her husband, Benjamin Damgaard, of Conway, Arkansas; a son, Mark Deering, of Westfield, Indiana and a cherished granddaughter, Shelby Deering, of Noblesville; brothers James of Westfield, David and his wife Judi of Westfield, Milton Jr. of Carmel, Jan and his wife Linda of Noblesville, Richard of Indianapolis, and Matthew and his wife Jeanne of Indianapolis; sisters Lana Wilson and her husband Bill of Westfield, Nancy Bond of Indianapolis, Linda Miller and her husband Vic of Buckley, Illinois, and Deborah Miller and her husband Thom of Otisco, Indiana; sisters-in-law Sonnie Hanks Deering of Carmel, Janet Hodge Sprong and her husband Harold of Whitestown, and Paula Gerdes Deering of Acton, Indiana; many nieces and nephews; and many, many friends. Born in Indianapolis on January 25, 1944, Mr. Deering was the seventh child of Milton and Ruth Deering?s 13 children. After graduating ...[more]

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m Westfield High School, he served in the Navy Reserves during the Vietnam Conflict. Upon being honorably discharged, he bought his father?s dry-cleaning business in Carmel, which he and his wife successfully ran for 23 years before selling the cleaners in 1985. He most recently worked for Tom Roush Lincoln Mercury Mazda, where he was voted Employee of the Year in 2006. He was a Mason, having served as chaplain of his local Masonic lodge. He was also a member of both the Scottish and York Rites, and a past-president of the Mobile Nobles, a group of business owners and traveling salesmen who conduct charitable work for Shriners International. He loved spending summer evenings in front of a fire in the garden, sipping the latest craft beer or enjoying a carefully selected glass of wine with his friends, family, and the formerly stray cats he and his wife graciously adopted and doted on. An avid amateur astronomer, he enjoyed identifying the various constellations and counting shooting stars and satellites as they passed through the sky on those special summer nights. Visitation and funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at Leppert Mortuary, 900 North Rangeline Road, Carmel, Indiana with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. Services will begin at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Jack Terry officiating. Burial will take place directly afterward at the Carmel Cemetery. The cemetery is located two blocks north of the mortuary on the west side of Rangeline Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent Hospice, 8450 North Payne Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268 or the Hamilton County Humane Society http://www.hamiltonhumane.com/.