Jay D. Bement

June 9, 1932 - May 13, 2020

Longtime Petersburg resident Jay D Bement passed away in Southern California May 13, 2020, about two weeks after emergency gall bladder surgery. Mr. Bement was born June 9, 1932, in Pike County Indiana to Luther and Eunice Bement. He was the last surviving of their 13 children and has been remembered by many as a warm and encouraging friend. He lived in Petersburg, Indianapolis, Oolitic, and Otwell as a child, and worked in an Indianapolis movie theater as a young man (and he loved movies, especially Westerns plus anything with Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, or Mark Harmon). He worked at Klippsch Auto Co. as an auto parts salesman before and after Army service and would often drive a tractor for local farmers after work. He served in the United States Army from June 1952-May 1954, stationed in Germany during the Korean Conflict, often driving half-tracks on maneuvers under almost total darkness. He was Honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal. Jay married Sheila Sanders of Petersburg in June of 1954, and they lived in Petersburg until 1966, and again between 1988-2012. They moved to Alta Loma, California in 1966 with their son, Mike, after Jay was recruited to work with International Harvester Company’s largest construction equipment branch (later Dresser) in City of Industry. He served as parts salesman and, later, a manager in City of Industry and in Simi Valley, California, where he was very involved in setting up their first automated inventory system in the 1970s. Jay and Sheila returned to Petersburg in 1988 when an early retirement opportunity came from the company purchasing Dresser. Jay was active for many years at Petersburg’s First Christian Church, where he served in church leadership and taught adult Sunday School. He joined a mowing crew at Pride’s Creek Park and volunteered with Sheila at the Somebody’s Place food bank. In 2012, Jay and Sheila returned to Alta Loma, California to live with son Mike, daughter-in-law Anna and family in a house on their property, where they would often enjoy cards, dominoes and outings with Anna’s retired parents. Their four grandsons were blessed with the good company of all four grandparents for many years. In retirement, Jay enjoyed fixing things (he was spotted working under a riding lawn mower just a few weeks ago), gardening, working jigsaw puzzles, watching Angels baseball, and playing games with family. He was also great company for the youngest cousins in the family, holding the babies and sharing toy construction equipment when they were old enough to enjoy it. He loved greeting fellow dialysis patients and taking them new issues of Our Daily Bread devotional books. He was appreciated for his good humor and warm greetings. Jay is survived by wife Sheila, son Mike, daughter-in-law Anna, grandson Samuel (all of Alta Loma, CA), grandson David and wife Alyssa (Upland, CA), grandson Christopher (San Luis Obispo, CA), and grandson Peter (Placentia, CA). He is also survived and loved by many nieces and nephews and by extended family throughout the United States. He will be interred at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California when circumstances allow. Contributions in Jay’s memory to the Our Daily Bread ministry would be appreciated at https://donations.ourdailybread.org/