John Benkart
John William Benkart, 83, of Cranberry Township passed away Tuesday.
John was born June 12, 1932, in Pittsburgh, the son of Earl and Anna (Culp) Benkart.
John was the father of Jean Peterson (Jeff Prady), John J. Benkart (Darla McGee), Joanne (Keith) Kramar, Joyce Benkart (Gary Johnston), Charles (Suzi) Benkart and Catherine Benkart (Mike Cravener); the grandfather of Jessica (Kevin) Criswell, Nicole Peterson (Scott Hartzell), Nathaniel Rothert (Maggie Williams), John A. Benkart (Carly McDonough) and Robert Benkart (Karlie Malone); the brother of Barbara Salinetro (Buck Thoma); and the brother-in-law of Germaine Benkart and Lucky Price.
He is also survived by many relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his family members, Earl (Dorothy) Benkart, Raymond Benkart, Shirley (Edward) Brandl, Carol (Bill) Heyl and Kay Novosel.
John was a veteran of the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of sergeant. He served in Korea.
After his discharge from the military, he went to work in the family business, J. Benkart & Sons Co. of Pittsburgh.
John eventually became sole owner of the company and moved the business to Cranberry Township. Over the years, John along with some of the children grew the business to be known nationwide as Benkart Rigging.
BENKART — Friends of John William Benkart, who died Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015, will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday at the Devlin Funeral Home of Cranberry, 2678 Rochester Road, Cranberry. A blessing will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home.
