Jacob and Doris Bender

Army veteran; barber Age: 83, 81

Jacob and Doris Bender were a fixture in Sharpsburg, often receiving waves and shouts from Memorial Day Parade participants as the couple watched the annual procession from their porch.

Doris, 81, was the caretaker of her family and town barber for decades. Jake, 83, was a proud Army veteran who worked hard to support his family and was always ready to lend a hand. They first met in Hawaii while Jake was in the Army. They died within two days of each other in September 2020, both of complications from COVID-19.

“They took care of everybody,” said their grandson, Jeff Grim. “They were very simple and humble people.”

As daughter Terrie Grim was going through her parents’ home the fall of 2020, she came across half a dozen trash bags full of yarn her mother had for crocheting hats for newborns at the local hospital.