Benjamin Crawford Benedict Jr.

Benjamin Crawford Benedict Jr, 92, died of pneumonia February 13 at Ashlar of Newtown where he had lived for a decade. He was a Newtown resident for 50 years.

Mr Benedict was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on March 24, 1911, son of the late Benjamin Crawford Benedict and Emma Richards Benedict.

He graduated from Chatham High School, Chatham, N.J., and Colgate University in 1934. He worked in advertising in New York City for many years, wrote an environmental column for the New York Times and published articles in Harpers, Yankee, and other magazines. He was also an independent tree surgeon.

He was predeceased by his wife Helen Elizabeth Lee Benedict; a son, Crawford Lee Benedict of California; and his sister, Mabel Roling of Cheshire.

He is survived by a daughter, Lynne Royce and her husband David of Shrewsbury, N.J. He also has six grandchildren: Benjamin Royce of Manhattan, N.Y., Rebecca Royce Rodriguez of Georgetown, Karen Royce Lee of Huntington, Annie Benedict of Boston, Mass., and Sabrina and Adriana Benedict, both of Calabasas, Calif. He has two great-grandchildren, Amanda Shay Lee and Allison Paige Lee, both of Huntington. He is also survived by a niece, Silvia Pattem of Colorado, and Martha Benedict of Calabasas, his son’s widow.

Mr Benedict was passionately interested in history. He was a descendant of Captain Benjamin Benedict, who fought in the Revolutionary War. Captain Benedict was one of the Westchester “minutemen” who stood guard over Major John Andre when he was awaiting trail and then hanged for trying to smuggle the West Point plans to the British that he had obtained from Benedict Arnold.

An ardent environmentalist, Mr Benedict was a member of the Newtown Forest Association, the Sierra Club, and the Connecticut Audubon Society, writing newsletters for two of the organizations. He also loved to write letters to The Newtown Bee about environmental issues and helped champion the saving of Morgan Pond in the Hattertown section of Newtown.

“If you want to contemplate the world’s problems, nature may provide a chair,” Mr Benedict wrote about sprawling trees in a perspective section of Al Goodrich and Mary Mitchell’s Newtown Trails Book.

Service arrangements are private.

Donations may be made to the Newtown Forest Association, Box 213,  Newtown CT 06470.

The Newtown Bee     February 20, 2004