William (Bill) Clarence Benton Jr., age 79, of 941 Cherry Hills Lane, Naperville, Illinois, died Monday, March 28, 2016.
He was born August 3, 1936 in Raeford, the son of the late Grace and William Clarence Benton Sr.
He was husband of Joyce; father of Laura (Peter) Anderson, Susan (fiancée Sten Thorborg) Benton, Karla Benton, and William H. (Jennifer) Benton; and grandfather of Jessica and Jonathon Anderson, Eric, Melanie, and Claire Bruning, and Henry and Madeleine Benton.
He attended high school in North Carolina and Indiana, and Purdue University (Kappa Delta Rho fraternity board of directors), and Illinois Institute of Technology (masters in Industrial Engineering). He was a longtime resident of Naperville and active founding member of Cress Creek Country Club. He worked at Inland Steel, was a faculty member and co-founder of Purdue University's Computer Science program, and worked at Cummins Engine, and Frye Consultants. He was founder, president, and chairman of GAINSystems, Inc. and inventor of GAINS, a global inventory optimization solution. An inspirational teacher who believed that "if the student hasn't learned, the teacher hasn't taught."
Visitation will be Friday, April 1 from 3-8 p.m. at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 44 S. Mill Street, Naperville, Illionis 60540. Additional visitation will be Saturday April 2, 2016 from 9-10 a.m. at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 1313 N. Mill Street, Naperville, IL 60563. The funeral will follow at 10 a.m. in the church. Interment will follow at Naperville Cemetery. For additional information call 630-355-0213 or visit www.friedrich-jones.com.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charitable institution supporting education.