Daniel Edward Bentz

Service Details

Services celebrating Daniel’s life will be held in Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 12:00PM. Visitation will be in the funeral home on Saturday from 10:00AM until the service. Private inurnment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Racine.

Daniel Edward Bentz, age 86, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 6, 2025, at Aurora Medical Center.

Daniel was born on December 30, 1938 to the late Clifford P. and Leona (Lui) Bentz. He was the ninth of their eleven children (six boys and five girls). Daniel was a lifelong resident of Racine, WI. Daniel attended Holy Name Grade School and was a proud graduate of St. Catherine’s High School, Class of 1958. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1964 with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1970 with a Master’s degree in Urban Education. On June 6, 1964, Daniel married the love of his life, Judith A. Schuppe.

Daniel was employed as a 6th-grade teacher with Racine Unified School District for 34 years. He taught disadvantaged summer school children for 31 of these 34 years. He also coached basketball and softball in the middle schools. While at St. Catherine’s, he was an outstanding athlete, excelling in football, basketball, and track. He was even honored with local, state, and national awards for his football skills. As an athlete, Daniel was the first nine-letter recipient to graduate from St. Catherine’s. In 1999, the school inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Daniel’s other interests included gardening, canning, family, camera club, volunteering, golf, and helping those in need. His favorite movie was: It’s A Wonderful Life. Daniel will be dearly missed by all who knew him. He truly believed he had a wonderful life.

Left to remember Daniel’s “Wonderful Life” as a husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend are his loving wife of 61 years, Judy; children, Kristin Oesau (Dan) of Crystal Lake, IL, Beck Bentz of Racine, WI; grandchildren, Erika and Nicolas Oesau of Crystal Lake, IL; brothers, Clifford R. Bentz (Dorothy) of Tucson, AZ, Thomas D. Bentz (Marie) of Alma, WI; sisters, Kathleen Panyk (Roger) of Racine, WI and Linda Hempel (Tom) of Spokane, WA.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clifford P. and Leona Bentz; sisters, Shirlie Dallmann/Longmore (Earl/Don), Doris A. Mack (Keith), Mary Jane Schwarm (Sherwood); and brothers, John E. Bentz (Barb) of Panama City, FL, Peter W. Bentz of Denver, CO, and Ronald Bentz (Sheila) of Racine, WI.