- Date Of Birth: January 26, 1920
- Date Of Death: December 3, 2010
- State: Michigan
Bennie Krupa
January 26, 1920 – December 3, 2010
Bennie Krupa, CWO4 USN Retired, of Bay City, MI (former lifetime resident of Pinconning, MI), passed away on December 3, 2010 at Bay Regional Medical Center having lived a long and very full life. He was born in Arenac County, MI on January 26, 1920 on the family farm and was the first son of Stanley and Katherine (Szostak) Krupa.Bennie enlisted in the US Navy in February, 1939 at the age of 19. He retired onSeptember 1, 1965 after 27 years of honorable and distinguished service to the UnitedStates of America. He served aboard submarines in the Pacific Theater and was in thePhilippines when Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked on December 7, 1941. Hissubmarine was bombed and he fought along side the Philippine people in defense of thePhilippine Islands. They fought valiantly, but the islands fell and he was taken Prisonerof War by the Japanese. Bennie was among the survivors of the Bataan Death March inApril, 1942. After 42 months in various prison camps in Taiwan, he was finally releasedafter the Japanese surrender following the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. Thecamp was 25 miles from Nagasaki and he felt the blast but never imagined what it couldbe.He returned to the United States and continued his Naval career finishing in GreatLakes, IL with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. For his service, Bennie was awardedtwo Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts as the result of wounds received in action withenemy forces on the islands of Corregidor, Bataan and Luzon in the Philippines. He alsowas awarded the following medals: Prisoner of War, Philippine Liberation Defense,Meritorious Service Award, WWII Medal, National Defense, American Defense andAsiatic-Pacific Campaign medals.Bennie was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and a former member of St. Michael Catholic Church in Pinconning. He was a member of the VFW Pinconning Post #3753 and was a Police Officer and City Councilman of Pinconning. Bennie worked as a salesman and also was a service rep for GMAC. He was an avid master gardener, hunter and inventor and enjoyed music, reading, watching birds and dancing with his wife. Bennie volunteered at the Pinconning Clothing Closet and was a world class storyteller.On May 18, 1946 he married Una Marie Coupie, of Bay City, MI, at Holy TrinityCatholic Church in Bay City. He is survived by Una, his wife of 65 years; daughtersSharon and (Rev. Stephen) Schilke, Bay City, MI; Michelle and (Dr. Thomas)Charbeneau, Paris, TX, and Debra and (Thomas) Kryzanowicz, Sanford, MI;grandchildren Mark and (Raechel) Schilke, Dawn and (Mat) Shea, Jeff and (Sakinah)Charbeneau, Andrea Charbeneau, Brianne Charbeneau, Bryan Kryzanowicz, KellyKryzanowicz, and Gabriel and (Angela) Krupa; and great grandchildren Jared, Allison,Tyler and Elizabeth Shea and Jacob and Joseph Schilke. He is also survived by onebrother Walter Krupa, and sisters Helen Krupa, Theresa Miller, Mary-Ann Dellaria, andTrudy Walther. Bennie was preceded in death by his parents Stanley and Katherine Krupa, two sons Dennis J. Krupa and Daniel J. Krupa; two brothers John Krupa and Ed Krupa, and sister Dorothy Tobias.
