James (Ben) Elkins, Jr

Employed At Town Of Newtown Highway Department

James (Ben) Elkins, Jr, 81, of Newtown, beloved husband of the late Jean Sperling Elkins, died March 30 at Danbury Hospital.

He is survived by his four remaining children and their spouses, Art and Stephanie Monsanto of Sandy Hook, Val and Richard Horvath of Newtown, Harold and Carol Monsanto of Belleville, Kan., and Jim and Martha Elkins of Marion, N.C. He was predeceased by a daughter, Jeannie Monsanto Wrabel of Vermont. He will be lovingly remembered by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as by his beloved bulldog, Max.

Mr Elkins, a veteran of World War II, was a crew chief for P-47 aircraft and was last stationed in Ie Shima, Philippines. Aviation later became a hobby and he spent many hours flying model gas planes and attending area air shows. After the war, he became a member of the band Sultan Swing and played trumpet with them for several years. He had a lifelong interest in music and remained ever faithful to the Big Band sound.

 Mr Elkins was a former scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts in Newtown with Troop 170 in Botsford. He was a master welder and was well known for creating whatever parts were needed for the project at hand. He was employed at the Town of Newtown highway department until his death and will be sadly missed by his coworkers and friends.

The family requests that memorial contributions may be made to the ASPCA or The Humane Society. A memorial service was held on April 2 in the Newtown United Methodist Church, Sandy Hook.

The Newtown Bee        April 7, 2006