‘Gentle giant’ remembered by daughter
When Brittney Bender would get a hug from her 6-foot-7-inch tall dad, she would be totally engulfed by his arms. The last hug Brittney got from her dad, Patrick Bender Jr., was when he came over to see her wedding veil, and it was one of the best hugs she ever received, she said.
“I showed him what my wedding veil looked like and it was a whole switch for a minute,” said Brittney, of Butler. “I don't even know how to describe the look he had. It's that look someone has when they're just happy.”
Patrick Bender died Saturday, Feb. 10, after being struck by two vehicles on Kittanning Street near Portman Road around 8:10 p.m. Feb. 10, and was later pronounced dead, Butler Township police said Monday. He was 46.
Brittney said she was talking with her friend at a convention in Pittsburgh when she got the call about her father. Her first instinct was to call her mom.
Patrick’s family planned to have a small private service in his memory. Brittney said anyone in attendance was welcome to speak about her father, and share memories of him because it is what he would have wanted.
Brittney herself said there are so many stories of her dad to share, but said he was most recently eagerly involved in helping her plan and organize her upcoming wedding.
“When I told him I was getting married he was so excited,” Brittney said. “He already told me he wants to do everything. He wants to be there with planning, he was so involved with my life.”
Brittney said her dad was there for all the major events in her life. He was her best friend, and the two bonded over “anything and everything.”
In particular, Patrick enjoyed certain superhero characters, like Deadpool, Captain America and Batman, Brittney said. He also enjoyed the autumn season, and was surprisingly good at starting a fire — ones that persisted even in the rain.
“It was raining that dusty rain once and the ground was wet and the wood was wet and somehow he got a fire to light and it stayed there for seven hours,” Brittney said.
Patrick also left Brittney with life lessons, having taught her to change a tire the morning after she stayed at his place.
Patrick was also the father of Bradin, Bradley and Mason Bender.
Brittney said she will remember her dad as a man who was always around.
“I truly did consider my father one of my best friends,” Brittney said. “We talked about anything and everything and he would do anything he could. If I had rent problems in Pittsburgh he would do anything to make sure his kid had a home. He was always there.”
