Dedication of memorial bench commemorates milestone anniversary … In honor of the fifth anniversary of the passing of Waukon native and Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ted Benda, family, friends and members of the Iowa State Patrol, local law enforcement and the local community gathered at a commemoration ceremony Tuesday, October 20. As part of the ceremony, a memorial bench (pictured below) was dedicated in Trooper Benda’s memory. Pictured above sitting on the bench are Trooper Benda’s wife Holly and their four daughters surrounded by their Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Department of Public Safety “family” that has provided support and care for them since Trooper Benda’s passing October 20, 2021 following injuries sustained in the line of duty.
Members of the Iowa State Patrol, local law enforcement, the local community and family and friends of fallen Iowa State Trooper Ted Benda gathered near the Freedom Rock in the Waukon City Park late Tuesday morning, October 20 to commemorate the five-year anniversary of Trooper Benda’s passing in the line of duty. As part of the commemoration, a memorial bench was permanently placed near that Freedom Rock pavilion location, inscribed with the words “Your noble service and sacrifice will forever be remembered by those who cherish freedom.”
Ted Benda was a Waukon native, the son of Lawrence and Marsha Benda, and he graduated from Waukon High School in 2002. He joined the State Patrol in 2016 and began serving in District 10 – Oelwein in 2017.
October 14, 2021 Trooper Ted Benda, Badge #313 was in route to assist a local law enforcement agency with the apprehension of a wanted subject in Clayton County. Trooper Benda was traveling down Highway 51 in rural Allamakee County shortly before 11:30 p.m. when he encountered a deer on the roadway. Evasive action was taken where he lost control of his vehicle, rolling it several times.
Trooper Benda was airlifted to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI, where he died from his injuries six days later.
Trooper Benda left behind his wife, Holly, and their four daughters: Madilyn, Avery, Vivyan and Sylvia. In addition to his parents, he is also survived by three brothers, Tim, Tom and Travis, and their families. He was preceded in death by his sister, Tanya, in 2019.
Tuesday’s ceremony involved words of honor and memoriam from some of Trooper Benda’s Iowa State Patrol colleagues, along with more local law enforcement and the founder of the nonprofit organization that made the memorial bench possible.
Leading off the event remarks was Lt. Brian Senne, Commander of Iowa State Patrol District 10 headquartered in Oelwein. Trooper Benda had been working in District 10 for four years when he made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
“Ted was a hard-working Trooper, and he served those around him,” Lt. Senne reflected. “He worked every day to make a difference – and he did. Even after the loss of Ted, he continues to find ways to serve those around him.”
Lt. Senne went on to talk about Benda’s organ donations to the National Organ Donor Foundation, making a difference for those in need of organs in order to survive and live healthier lives. He also mentioned the 313 Traffic Enforcement Project named after Benda’s badge number (313) that happens March 13 (3/13) every year and focuses on eliminating bad driving behaviors. The Iowa State Patrol has also partnered with the American Red Cross for an annual blood drive held in Decorah in Trooper Benda’s honor, with this year’s recent blood drive results potentially saving the lives of 108 individuals in need of blood.
In sharing what the new memorial bench in Trooper Benda’s honor means to him, Lt. Senne stated, “To me, it’s a reminder of hope; the hope that I can continue to do good things in my community, as Trooper Ted Benda has done in his community. I hope others who pass by can continue to make a difference, and at the very least, it remains a place to seek rest, refuge and a feeling of safety. As the message states on the bench, Trooper Benda’s noble service and sacrifice will forever be remembered.”
Curtis DeBerg, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Give Blue Hope – the organization that funded the memorial bench, provided his insight based on his own law enforcement career and what drove him to want to give back to families whose fallen heroes had made their ultimate sacrifice.
DeBerg started his law enforcement career in Iowa in 1989, serving nearly 35 years before being forced to medically retire. Reflecting on a friend of his who was shot and killed in 2010 in the line of duty with the Riverside Police Department in California, DeBerg said that he knew that he needed to do something to help the families left behind by those who made the ultimate sacrifice in their line of duty.
According to the Give Blue Hope website, givebluehope.org, DeBerg believes families who lose a loved one in the line of duty deserve immediate support during some of the hardest days of their lives.
That belief is what helped him create Give Blue Hope, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps provide an immediate charitable gift to the families of law enforcement officers, corrections officers, firefighters, and other first responders killed in the line of duty.
To read the full article with additional photos from this event, pick up the Wednesday, October 28, 2026 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.