Bert Benedict, 88, of Templeton, formerly of Medway, Marlborough and Belmont, died Thursday February 13, 2014 in Athol. He was the beloved husband of 46 years of Fran Benedict and also the beloved husband of 18 years of the late Hope Deering Benedict. Born in Watertown on June 7, 1925 he was the son of the late Nathan Bertrand Benedict and Edna M. (Anderson) Benedict. He attended Belmont schools and was a 1943 graduate of Belmont High School. He later graduated from Wentworth Institute in Boston. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a Staff Sergeant. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in a combat mission flown over Lenz, Austria on January 20, 1945. Mr. Benedict retired in 1977 as President of Donald S. Tait Inc., Building Contractors of Belmont, after over 35 years of employment in the building construction field. He later taught as a Professor at Wentworth Institute for 20 years and served as the head of the Building Construction Dep't. at Wentworth for 5 years. A long time member of the Disabled American Veterans, Mr. Benedict also was a member of the Belmont Masonic Lodge, and from 1958 to 1959 served as President of the Belmont Kiwanis Club. In addition to his wife Fran, survivors include a son James and his wife of Maine and a daughter Cindy and her husband of New Hampshire. He was also the father of the late Debbie Benedict and is survived by 5 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Doris and uncle to Beth. Service: Services and burial will be private. A memorial luncheon will be held at a later date.