Edward C. Bender, 64, of Seven Valleys, PA passed away at his home on Oct. 11, 2020, after a year-long battle with cancer that took him too soon. He was the husband of Leanora (née Brun) Bender.

Edward was born in Lebanon, PA on Feb. 18, 1956. He was the son of James Bender (deceased) and Joan (née May) Bender.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sisters: Mick Bender, Beverly Eck (David), and Magdalene (Biz) Miller (Wayne).

He graduated from Lebanon Catholic in 1974. He furthered his education at Mount St. Mary’s University with a BS in chemistry. After graduating college, Ed worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation until 1990, and for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives from 1990 until his retirement in 2011. During his career as a Forensic Chemist, Ed worked many high profile and complicated cases, and was a leader in the field of explosives chemistry. After his retirement, he continued to teach classes at the National Center for Explosive Training and Research (NCETR) at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama and at Oklahoma State University. In addition to a passion for his work, Ed also was an avid fly fisherman. He enjoyed nothing better than being on the river at his cabin in Michigan.

There will be a memorial service for Ed held on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, at The Timbers, 350 Timber Rd., Mt Gretna, PA. Services start at 2:00 p.m. and will be followed by a light lunch. Masks are required. There will be an additional memorial for Ed in Michigan at his beloved cabin in the summer of 2021.

Please share your memories with the family at our online guest book at thompsonfuneralhomelebanon.com

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ed’s name may be made to Project Healing Waters (projecthealingwaters.org) or the American Cancer Society (cancer.org)