Bennie L. Borman

Bennie (Ben) Lee Borman, 92, of Carmel, IN, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2024. Ben was born July 27, 1931, to the late Henry and Mary Ellen Borman. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather.

Born in rural Huntingburg, IN, Ben grew up in the surrounding area, graduating from Huntingburg High School in 1948. He served in the Navy as an electronics technician for four years. During the Korean War, he had sole responsibility for all electronic equipment on board the United States Ship PCEC 882 and was awarded two bronze stars for his service during the Korean War.

After serving in the Navy, he worked full-time as an electronics technician at P. R. Mallory while attending night classes in Indianapolis. In 1960, with the strong encouragement from his English teacher and with the support of his wife, he quit his full-time job, and moved his wife and four daughters to West Lafayette, IN, to pursue an engineering degree at Purdue University. He took extra classes each semester while also working in the physics department. He was a member of the Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu engineering honor societies and graduated from Purdue University in 1963 with an Electrical Engineering degree.

Following graduation, he took an engineering position at RCA in Indianapolis, IN, beginning a 25-year career which culminated in achieving the position of Division Vice President, Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology. He was most proud of his teams at RCA, believing his accomplishments were due to the hard work and talents of his team members. He and his team were awarded the RCA David Sarnoff Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement in 1977 for automated test equipment and again in 1982 for automated alignment equipment. Many of his team members and co-workers were his closest friends. After retiring from RCA, he served for ten years at SRE (Society of Retired Executives) where he devoted many hours to helping others.

Ben’s greatest joy in life was his family. Ben married Florence Jochim on December 26, 1953, while on leave from the Navy. He adored his wife, and they enjoyed many fun times together, traveling in the United States and abroad and watching sporting events, especially Purdue football. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last year. Together they raised four daughters. He was actively involved in each of their lives, sharing his strong values in family, education, and work ethic. Through his support and influence, each of his four daughters cultivated successful careers in fields of their choosing, including engineering, computer science and finance. Ben could constantly be found with one or more of his daughters, helping with homework; teaching them how things work; watching basketball or football games; helping them with a myriad of projects; or just lending a much needed listening ear. He loved playing cards, board games, and ping pong, and doing home, yard, and car projects with his family. Ben was extremely gifted in his ability to fix anything around the house, which his wife and daughters relied on and learned from. In retirement, he particularly enjoyed playing golf with his family and friends. His brothers and sisters were very important to him, and with his wife and daughters, he spent many weekends visiting them in southern Indiana to share stories, laughter, and meals together. He enjoyed getting to spend time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and could always be seen with a twinkle in his eyes when he teased and played with them.

He is survived by his wife, Florence Borman; daughters, Debra (Doug) Bartlett, Patricia (Bloor) Redding Jr., Teresa Borman, Barbara (Kevin) Murphy; grandchildren Heather (Travis) Schulze, Jennifer (D.R.) Grieves, Whitney (Chris) Buckel, Bloor (Elizabeth) Redding III, John Murphy and Emily Murphy; 5 great grandchildren; sister, Lou Dittmer; and brother, Danny Borman. He is preceded in death by his sister, Anna Mae Lehmkuhler, and brothers, Leonard Borman and James Borman.

A private funeral service for Bennie Borman will be held on Wednesday June 5th, 2024, at the Our Lady of Peace Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Purdue University College of Engineering.