F3C Frank E. Bentley

1896 – 1946

USNRF

WWI

Frank Elmer Bentley was born December 23, 1896 in Ludlow, Kentucky, to William J. and Lorena (Mershon) Bentley.

He married Thelma Josephine Strobach in 1926.

Bentley served in the U.S. Naval Reserve Force from 1918 to 1920. Founded on Aug. 29, 1916, the USNRF opened up enlistment requirements and organized Reservists into six categories based on their experience, trade, and area of operability. By the end of WWI, USNRF sailors outnumbered regular Navy sailors.

After the war, Bentley worked as an electrician.

Fireman Third Class Bentley died March 18, 1946, in Lake County, Illinois and rests with his wife in Evergreen Cemetery in Barrington.

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Remember. Honor. Teach.

Courtesy of Signal Hill Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution