Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

They say the measure of a man is what people have to say about them when they are gone.

Well if the comments we have heard following the passing of Don Bender, then he was quite a man.

He was a teacher and a coach in the Niles school system for more than 40 years.

His coaching exploits are legendary and for that he landed in both the Football Coaches Hall of Fame and the Coaches Hall of Fame, which is includes all sports.

Bender excelled at coaching football, basketball and especially track.

The Niles Ring Lardner annual spring track meet bears his name.

But in reading and listening to people talk about Bender, who get the bigger picture.
He was a better person than he was a coach or a teacher.

Terms like “Mr. Niles” where used on Monday afternoon and evening as the news of his passing spread throughout not only Niles, but also southwest Michigan.

There is no doubt that Don Bender touched a lot of lives in his professional career.

You can also tell a lot about a man by the family he raised.

His lone son Steve Bender has become a highly successful tennis coach at Buchanan.
Like his father, people have plenty of good things to say about Steve Bender and how he handles himself and his sports program.

In recounting the time he spent with his father it was easy to see that Steve not only learned a lot about teaching and coaching, but had a great deal of admiration for his father.

Don Bender will be greatly missed. Although retired since the late 1980s, his legacy lives on.

There is no bigger compliment you can pay a person than to show him the respect he earned and deserved.

Visitation for Don Bender will be held on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Halbritter Funeral Home.

We would hope that all that knew him would come out and pay their respects.
After all, he earned it.