Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

Donald Frank Benedict, 87, of Fort Washington, MD, passed away quietly on Monday, March 8, 2021.

Don was born December 19, 1933 to Ralph and Anna Benedict in St. Louis, MO.  He graduated from McBride High School in 1951 and went on to study engineering at St. Louis University. Following college Don was commissioned in the Air Force.  While stationed in Udon, Thailand Don flew combat missions into Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.  He retired a Lieutenant Colonel after 22 years, completing his career working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon.  Following his retirement from military service Don joined FEMA where he put his organizational talent to use for communities struck by natural disasters. 

Don was a lifelong bachelor who dedicated himself to serving others.  In addition to his service to the country he loved, he was extremely involved in the communities he lived in.

A 48-year resident of Piscataway Hills he served as Treasurer of the association and as a constant volunteer.  Don also served his broader community through both delivering Meals-on-Wheels and piloting patients on Angel Flights in his Navion aircraft.

 Don’s primary love was for Christ and his church.  As a lifelong Catholic, Don grew in his faith over the years and shared his love of Christ quietly in the way he served others.  In 2004, Don professed as a Third Order Discalced Carmelite Secular – answering God’s call for a vocation of prayer in imitation of our Blessed Mother Mary, heeding the call of Jesus, her Son, to “pray always without becoming weary”.  Secular Carmelites seek union with God and strive to live in the constant awareness of His presence through the teachings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. He helped serve the community in obtaining publications and he was the President of St. Joseph’s Secular Carmelite Community in Port Tobacco, MD.

Don was generous in sharing his time, especially through Catholics Come Home, a Catholic apostolate with a mission to evangelize baptized Catholics, his commitment to praying for the Pope and the sanctification and protection of holy priests especially through the St. Mary’s Family Cenacle of the Marian Movement of Priests and his readiness to drop everything whenever anyone was in need. 

In addition to his parents, Donald was preceded in death by his sisters Ruth (Ed) Mosley and Betty (Ambrose) Perotta.  He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Claude & Eloise Benedict.  He also leaves behind nieces and nephews: Debbie, Ken (Mary), Linda (Tom) Muller, Tony, Joe (Karen), Ed (Gena), and Tom Perotta; Diane (David) Beauchamp and Donna (James) Hamm as well as 16 great-nieces/nephews and 15 great-great nieces/nephews.

 Wake to be held at Kalas Funeral Home, 6160 Oxon Hill Rd, Oxon Hill, MD on Thursday, March 11 from 6 to 8pm, with rosary at 7pm. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Piscataway, 13401 Piscataway Rd, Clinton, MD at 11am on Friday, March 12, with burial immediately following mass in St. Mary’s cemetery.  All who knew and loved Don are welcome to attend.

 Memorials, if you so desire, may be made in Donald’s memory to the Focus Missionaries at https://www.focus.org/give/ways-to-give or the Piscataway Hills Citizens Association, Playground Rehabilitation, 13821 Piscataway Dr., Ft. Washington, MD 20744, both of which will continue his legacy of evangelization and love of neighbor. 

Donald Frank Benedict

Donald Frank Benedict

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