On March 2nd, 2025, Esther Marie Bentz (née LeCureaux) died peacefully in her

sleep in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is survived by her two daughters, Barbara Kerstetter (David) and Jane Bentz (Jerry

Kirchoff); her three grandchildren David John Kerstetter and Kyrie Cowger (Jeremy); and

Claire Kirchoff; and her four great-grandchildren Aiden, Caleb and Sabrina Kerstetter, and

Chloe Cowger.

Preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Peter Bentz, and her 6 brothers

and sisters. Esther was born on October 8th, 1929 to Charlotte LeCureaux (née

Brown) and Amos LeCureaux as the 6th of 7 children in Detroit, Michigan.

Her best stories started with “did I tell you about the time when the twins and I…”

detailing hijinks with her closest brothers, Bob and Tom. She enjoyed many

summers on Lake Huron in Lexington, Michigan where she and Peter made

lifelong friends. Peter and Esther were “snow birds” for many years, splitting the

year between Michigan and Florida. Following Peter’s death in 2005, Esther

settled in Nashville, Tennessee to be closer to her two daughters’ families. An

avid quilter, each member of the family and many outside of the family will fondly

remember her through specially designed and crafted quilts.

Graveside services will be held at 11 am Saturday, March 8, 2025 at Florida Memorial

Gardens, 5950 US-1, Rockledge, FL 32955.

Monetary donations can be made using this link Donate | Quilts of Valor Foundation . You

can securely donate via credit card or check through our online process. You can also mail

a check made payable to Quilts of Valor Foundation to: Quilts of Valor Foundation, P.O. Box

191 ,Winterset, IA 50273 or Alive Hospice