Benjamin Sunderland

Posted on January 27, 2023

Benjamin Sunderland, 98, passed away at the Lafayette Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Mayo on Jan. 23, 2023. He was born in Galesburg, Ill., on Aug. 9, 1924, to Benjamin and Agnes Sunderland and came to live in Perry in 2015 to be closer to his family. He served in the U.S. Navy for the WWII Normandy operations on Orange Beach and during the Korean War, then began his career as a machinist apprentice for Caterpillar Tractor Company. He retired as plant superintendent for their Aurora, Ill., plant. Ben was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Perry and enjoyed working on home projects that included building furniture and remodeling rooms to the house. He was always happy when he “had a board.” He was preceded in death by: his parents, Benjamin and Agnes; brother, William; wife, Nancy; second wife, Nell; and son, Jimmy. He is survived by: his son John (Beverly); grandsons, David and Paul (Leslee); and great-grandchildren, John (JJ), Colby, Katelyn and Melissa. Interment will be at the Macon County Memorial Cemetery in Decatur, Ill.