John Beneke, 87, of Lancaster, Minnesota passed away on Wednesday, July 17th, 2013 at his daughter's home in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. John Frederick Beneke was born June 19, 1926 to John P. and Kathryn (Balster) Beneke at Brookings, South Dakota. He grew up in rural Hinckley, Minnesota and attended school there. John served with the U.S. Navy from November 21, 1944 to May 28, 1946. He returned home to farm for several years before taking a job with the city of Minneapolis. On May 16, 1953 he married Beatrice "Pat" Peterson. John was a foreman groundskeeper for the city of Minneapolis until his retirement in 1981. John and Pat moved to Lancaster in 1982. Pat passed away in 1987. John continued to work in retirement, taking care of Riverview Memorial Garden Cemetery in Lancaster. In 1995 he was united in marriage to Verna Christenson at Lancaster. John was a member of Sion Lutheran Church, the Lancaster American Legion and Lions Club. He is survived by his wife, Verna, Hallock; a son, Karl (Dawn) Beneke, Grandy, MN; a daughter, Debra (Steve) Logan, Brooklyn Center, MN; 9 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; as well as nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Pat; and sons, Mike and Dale. Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, July 22, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. in Sion Lutheran Church at Lancaster. Visitation will be held at the church for one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Riverview Memorial Garden Cemetery, Lancaster. Rev. Kate Johnson, presiding; Dianne Rice, organist; and Galen Nordin, soloist. Casket bearers will be Charles Logan, DJ Logan, Greg Logan, Cody Johnson, Jim Beneke and John Beneke. Honorary casket bearers will be Darrel Johnson, Peter Johnson, Brad Beneke, Kevin Beneke and Jeremy Beneke. Military honors will be accorded by the Lancaster American Legion.