Bernard Ben Winstanley, former Orange County Legislator of Greenwood Lake, passed away Monday, July 16, 2012, at St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick. He was 79 years old.
Born October 13, 1932, in Brooklyn, he was the son of Arthur and Catherine (Murphy) Winstanley.
A loving and devoted husband, Ben was predeceased by his wife, Gen, after 50 years of marriage.
Ben was a successful businessman and extremely active in his community. He was the co-owner of the Winstanley Advertising Company with his wife, Gen.
He worked for more than two decades at Sears, Roebuck and Company, eventually becoming the manager of print and electronic media.
He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
He was a 12-year member of the Greenwood Lake Fire Department.
With Gen, they ran the Greenwood Lake Youth Commission from 1970 to 1980. They created an instructional baseball league, organized Greenwood Lakes participation in the yearly Punt, Pass and Kick competitions, and organized and coached Holy Rosarys basketball teams in the CYO league.
Ben represented the 10th district of Orange County as a county legislator for 16 years. He was a Greenwood Lake village trustee for six years and mayor for four years.
He was most proud to have designed the Veterans Cemetery monument in Goshen.
The family would like to thank Barbara Juby for the tireless care, support and friendship she gave Ben after he fell ill.
He is survived by his children: Cathie and her husband Ken Miller of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., and Ben and his wife Deb of Cornwall; three grandchildren: Katt Kelly, Colin Miller and Kelsey Winstanley; great-granddaughter, Leighla Jaymes Kelly; and his brothers Arthur Winstanley and John Winstanley.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 19, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Ave., Warwick.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Stephens R.C. Church, followed by interment in Orange County Veterans Cemetery in Goshen.
Ben loved everything about Greenwood Lake and its people. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Greenwood Lake Food Pantry, PO Box 1805, Greenwood Lake, NY 10925.
For further information, directions or to send an online condolence, see www.lsvpmemorialhome.com.