The Bishop Noll Institute community mourns the loss of beloved veteran teacher Larry Bentley, who died Easter Sunday following a battle with cancer.
He was 65.
“Larry Bentley’s knowledge, wit, and kindness will hold a permanent place in the history and future of Bishop Noll Institute,” BNI Principal Craig Stafford said. “Larry was an integral part of shaping students in mind, body, and soul during his tenure at our school. Bishop Noll lost a fine educator, friend, and supporter. He will be sorely missed by all.”
Mr. Bentley is survived by his wife, Barbara (Cafiero) Bentley, and their son, Kurt, a 2000 graduate of Bishop Noll, daughter-in-law Amy and grandson Kayden. He also is survived by many loving brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be Thursday, April 9, from Burns Funeral Home, Crown Point, to Saint Bridget Church in Hobart for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Dominic Bertino officiating. Friends are invited to visit with Mr. Bentley’s family from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Burns.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in his memory to the “BNI / Bentley Scholarship Fund” at Bishop Noll Institute, 1519 Hoffman Street, Hammond, IN 46327.
“Our entire Bishop Noll community is saddened by Larry’s passing, and we extend our deepest condolences to his immediate family,” BNI President Paul Mullaney said. “He was a true BNI Warrior and bled blue and gold.
“Most impressive was the impact he made on all those he interacted with. It never ceased to amaze me how his former students, many years after being in his class, would rattle off their favorite Bentley-isms. He had a great sense of humor, quick wit and infectious smile that drew people in, and you can understand how he used those God-given traits to capture the attention of those in his class for their own advancement. He was a solid guy.”
A 1967 graduate of Hobart High School, Mr. Bentley graduated from Indiana State University in 1971 and was hired by the Diocese of Gary to teach elementary school in Gary. He moved from Holy Angels School to Bishop Noll for the 1983-84 school year, and taught at Noll for 32 years. In the spring of 2012, he was recognized by the diocese for 40 years of teaching service.
Mr. Bentley, who obtained a master’s degree from Indiana University in 1977, taught U.S. history and world history at Noll.
“To him, history was a story that needed to be told,” David Tutacko, another of Noll’s 40-years-plus history teachers and chairman of the Social Studies Department, said of Mr. Bentley.
“He was a fantastic story teller. That is how he delivered his lectures. Introductions, details, then the climax and that is when the U.S.S. Maine exploded and the “war” would begin. His humor, his energy, his knowledge of his subject was an inspiration to all of us on the faculty, the new and the experienced.”
Mr. Bentley – affectionately known by the BNI family as “L.B.” – was Noll’s varsity baseball coach from 1992 through 1997. His Warrior teams won sectional titles in 1995 and ’96.
“Coach Bentley was truly one of a kind,” said Geoff Laciak, a player on those ’95 and ’96 teams. “He was more than just a teacher and a coach, he was a true friend. L.B. taught me that true success and happiness was determined by more than just getting a good grade in the classroom or a victory on the field. Success and happiness is achieved through the personal relationships you make and the positive impact you have on other peoples’ lives. I think it’s safe to say L.B. made every person around him better and, in the process, taught us how to make one another better.
“I was lucky enough to have one last conversation with L.B. before he passed away. In his true selfless nature, he told me to make sure that I told all of the guys (baseball teammates) that he viewed each and every one of us as his sons, that he valued the time that he spent with us, and that he loved us. I hope he knew that he gave us so much more than we ever gave him. I am a better person for knowing him, and Bishop Noll is a better place because of him,” Laciak said.
Mr. Bentley took over the baseball coaching helm in 1991-92 after serving seven years as an assistant to Jack Gabor. He was an assistant to Gabor on the Warriors’ 1984 Final Four baseball team. He also assisted in multiple ways with Gabor’s BNI basketball program.
“He was a guy who would do anything and everything for you,” Gabor said. “One time we needed a freshman coach in basketball, and he stepped in. He also did filming for us when we needed it. And when we went to the Final Four (basketball in 1988), he was one of those who helped us make all the travel arrangements and special accommodations.”
Tutacko agreed with Gabor.
“On a personal note, when I needed assistance, his response was always the same: ‘Whatever you need.’ He wasn’t interested in details,” Tutacko said.
Gabor said most people knew Mr. Bentley for possessing a special “code of living.”
“For L.B., it was work hard, play hard,” Gabor said. “At Bishop Noll, we worked our tails off in school and at practices, and when it was time to have fun, we had fun. That would definitely describe him – work hard, play hard.”
Mr. Bentley also taught drivers education, helping run the Merrillville location for Certified Driving School.