John M. Benedett

St. Charles,

Loving husband and devoted father, John Michel Benedett, 72, of Hayward, WI passed away peacefully on August 6, 2016 at Mayo Clinic Hospital - St. Mary's Campus in Rochester. He was born on April 13, 1944 in Northfield, MN to Carl and Marguerite Benedett. John was an active member in his church his whole life. At the age of 12, he attended church camp where he met Mary Naegeli from South St. Paul. John graduated from St. Charles high school in 1962. John married Mary on August 17, 1963 at the Chaska Moravian Church in Chaska, MN. They made their home at the Benedett family farm outside of St. Charles. John took pride in his role as a father, raising 7 children, six girls and one boy. John farmed with his dad from the time he was young and continued to farm until 1990. In 1986, John started driving the commuter bus from St. Charles to Rochester for Rochester City Lines and worked as a bus mechanic from 1990 until he retired in 2006. He enjoyed his retirement by fishing, wood working and spending summers in Hayward, WI. He and Mary made Hayward their permanent home in 2011 and avoided the cold MN winters by wintering in Gulf Shores, Alabama. John enjoyed being able to continue his love for farming by driving semi for his son-in-law in the fall before heading South for the winter.

John is survived by his wife Mary, seven children: Kristen (John) Karpinsky of Edina, MN, Susan (Craig) Ferguson of St. Charles, MN, Rebecca Henry (Dale Haag) of Dover, MN, Connie (Jeff) Barnes of Stewartville, MN, Barbara (Corey) Allen of Oronoco, MN, Kathryn (Steve) Wendt of St. Charles, MN and Michel (Whitney) Benedett of St. Charles, MN, grandchildren; Maia, Jackson, Julia, Nicolas (Alison), Hayden, Carson, Charlie, Sam, Max, Owen, Corbin, Brody, Parker, Logan, Sawyer, Stella, Maggie, Brailey, Evelyn and Archie, Great grandchildren; Avery and Journey and by his sister Teresa Benedett-Farmer of Colorado. Preceded in death by his parents Carl and Marguerite Benedett.
Visitation 4-8 pm Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at Hoff Funeral Home, St. Charles, MN. Funeral services for John will be at 11:00 am on Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at Berea Moravian Church in St. Charles with the Reverend Frank Jones officiating. Burial in the church cemetery following the service. Please share a memory of John at his on-line guestbook and view his video tribute when it becomes available at www.hofffuneral.com.

John's family would like to give a special thanks to the amazing staff at Mayo Clinic for all they did during his stay.