Benjamin Dehays

Benjamin F. DeHays Of Indianapolis passed away March 16, 2011 at the age of 91. Mr. DeHays was born on January 1, 1920, in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from the College of Pharmacy at The Ohio State University in 1941. Following graduation he finished a course in explosive chemistry. Prior to volunteering for the Army, he worked as a chemist for E.I. Dupont & Co. at the Wabash River Ordinance Plant at Monticello, Indiana. This facility manufactured RDX, the explosive ingredient in C-4. During WWII, Mr. DeHays served in the US Army Special Engineer Detachment. He was assigned to Carbon Carbide Operations at the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where he became a shift supervisor in the fission counting laboratory. Following the war he joined Eli Lilly & Co., retiring in 1984 after 37 years of service. At the time of his retirement he was Manager of Financial and Media Services. Mr. DeHays was an honorary lifetime member of the Midwest Healthcare Marketing Association. While at Eli Lilly & Co., he served on the Financial Management Committee of the Association of National Advertisers and the Pharmaceutical Advisory Board of the National Osteopathic Foundation. He was past president of the Devon Civic League and the Eagle Nest property Owners Association. He was a member of the Castleton United Methodist Church, the Masonic Lodge, and the Scottish Rite of Indianapolis. Ben DeHays was preceded in death by his first wife, Doris Ebright DeHays, and by his second wife, Betty Colby DeHays, following 60 years of marriage. He is survived by his children, Elaine DeHays Ebright of Circleville, Ohio, Dianne Milli and Deborah Simms of Indianapolis, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Service: 11:00 am Monday, March 21, 2011 at Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center-Broad Ripple with calling Sunday March 20, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Entombment will be in Oaklawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana or to the Salvation Army. You are invited to go to the Guest Book page to pass along your personal message or tell a story. Sincerely, -Your friends at Flanner and Buchanan