SCARBOROUGH – Gary Benevento, of Scarborough, passed away at Maine Medical Center on Dec. 5, 2020, at the age of 63. His wife of 40 years and three sons were at his side.

Raised in Duxbury, Mass., Gary joined the Navy upon completing high school. Gary’s military service relocated him to Virginia, where he met and married Emily. Once he completed his service he moved to Hawaii where they had their first son, Brian.

Gary later moved with his family to Maryland where he completed his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland. He continued his service to the country through working for the NSA. Gary and Emily had two more sons while in Maryland: Jeff and Robert. In 1998, the family relocated to Scarborough, where he worked for Control Devices, and ON Semiconductor (formerly Fairchild Semiconductor).

Gary’s family knows him best as the father and husband that can fix anything around the house from the creaking spot in the floor, to the shingles on the roof, or even the dishwasher that makes an annoying sound. Gary has always been a model for ingenuity, integrity, punctuality, responsibility, generosity, and kindness. For Gary there is never a problem without a solution nor a person who cannot be helped.

Gary’s caring nature could be seen in his willingness to help others. This also included his mother who he cared for dearly into her retirement. For years, he would routinely visit her in Weymouth, Mass. to spend time with her, care for her lawn, shovel her driveway, or even fix up her kitchen.

Gary also helped restore his father’s 19th century home. He had extremely fond memories of working on challenging carpentry projects with his father, from whom he learned a great deal of his woodworking knowledge and continued to lean on for support and advice throughout his life. He took great pride in passing this knowledge and experience on to his sons.

In his last days Gary was asked about his hobbies, to which he responded, “fixing things”. While simple, there are no better words to describe his persistence and attention to detail. Gary has shown himself to be a lifelong learner and a source of encyclopedic knowledge on a variety of topics. All who have had the chance to know him will miss his bright smile, blue eyes, booming laugh, kind heart, and comforting presence.

Gary is preceded in death by his mother, Sara. He is survived by his father, Charlie; stepmother, Lynn; siblings, Bruce, Andrea, and Barbara; wife, Emily; sons, Brian, Jeff, and Robert; and his grandchildren, Vincent and Rafael.

Gary’s celebration of life will be planned for- Spring or Summer 2021.

Arrangements entrusted to Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland. Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to

Make a Wish Foundation or Habitat for Humanity.

Copy the Story Link