Eleanor May Bender

June 2, 1938 - March 11, 2019

Eleanor was born on June 2, 1938 to Leo and Mary (Loebe) Jilg in Clarks, Nebraska. Eleanor grew up and graduated from Clark High School in 1956. After her marriage to Raymond Graves they remained in the Clarks and Fremont areas from 1956 to 1968. She then lived in South Sioux City, Nebraska , working at IBP from 1970 to 1978 . She married Robert Bender in 1973. Then, from 1979-1985 she lived in Council Bluffs and worked at Nebraska Beef and No Frills. She moved to Hastings in 1985 where she worked at Hastings Meat and McDonalds and retired from Russ's IGA. In 2013, she moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa and resided with Charles LaChapell until moving back to Hastings in December 2018. She is survived by five sons and two daughters- Michael and Sanchiko Bender of Okinawa, Japan; Patrick and Brenda Graves of Jackson, NE; Monica Anderson of Butler, MO; Cheryl and Duane Dubas of Raymond, NE; Thomas and Jamie Bender of Hasting, NE; Richard and Lisa Bender of Ayr, NE; and Terrence and Tomoko Bender of Okinawa, Japan; two brothers- Gerry Kuhn of Omaha, NE; Ralph and Brenda Jilg of Silver Creek, NE; three sisters- Roselyn Irvine of St. Paul, NE; Dorothy Sheets of Loveland, CO; and Carol Cortinas of Omaha, NE; 26 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren, and 4 great great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, son- Christopher Graves; grandchild- Teja Jo Graves; siblings- Leo Jilg, Francis Jilg, Mary Helen Wyman, and Lucetta Adkisson; brother in laws- Ken Adkisson, Roy Wyman, Bill Irvine, John Cortinas, Larry Kuhn, and Byron Sheets.