Trooper Ted Benda. (ISP photo)
A charity golf tournament scheduled for this weekend will benefit the family of an Iowa State trooper who died in a crash in northeast Iowa last fall.
Trooper Dennis Schnathorst, a member of the Hamilton County Peace Officers Association, says every year there’s a different recipient chosen. “This year we have selected Holly Benda,” Schnathorst says. “Her husband, Trooper Ted Benda, was tragically killed in October in a traffic accident while on duty, responding to assist some other agencies.”
The 37-year-old Benda lived in rural Decorah. He was killed when he swerved to avoid a deer and crashed near Postville on October 14th. He died in the hospital a few days later. “He leaves behind not only his wife, Holly, but four daughters, ranging from 11, nine, four and even a six-month-old who was actually just a couple of weeks old when Ted passed away,” Schnathorst says. “Very, very sad. It’s always sad but there were only one or two pictures with the entire family including the newborn.”
The association’s golf tournament is Saturday at Briggs Woods Golf Course in Webster City. Several of Benda’s family members are scheduled to attend. Find more information at the Hamilton County Peace Officers Association Facebook page.
(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)