John Rutherford Bentley Sr.

John Rutherford Bentley was a lifelong Oregonian. He had a philosophy of always being positive, and it made him the man he was.

He was born in Portland, Oregon on May 2, 1930. He attended West Sylvan Grade School, Lincoln High School, and the University of Oregon. He was fiercely loyal to the Oregon Ducks and was a supporter of the University of Oregon Library for over 50 years.

After graduating from U of O, he was drafted into the Army. A favorite family story is about how he applied to Harvard Business School as a way to escape the Army on and was surprised to be accepted.

While in Boston at Harvard, he met Patricia Grathwohl. They were married in 1956 and moved to Portland soon after John’s graduation, where he went to work for Western Kraft. John and Patty had three children, Emily, John, and Sally.

In 1964, John founded RA Gray & Co. Construction with his two friends, Hawkin Au and Robert Gray. Until his death, John and Hawk ran Beauport Enterprises, a property management company.

John was a believer in community service. He served on the Portland Planning Commission, was a longtime board member of the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, and was an active member of Bethel Congregational Church in Beaverton. He was a board member of the Park Vista Coop where he lived with Patty in the last years of his life. He believed in participating and helping where he could. All of the institutions that he was involved with benefitted from his energy and expertise.

John was passionate about Oregon. He loved fly fishing on the Deschutes River, attending plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and spending time at the family cabin in Camp Sherman. He loved OPB, especially the programs about Oregon. He was dedicated to the preservation of public lands and supported The Zumwalt Prairie Preserve, as well as other Nature Conservancy projects.

John is survived by his wife of 66 years, Patricia Bentley, their daughter, Emily Anderson (Charlie), son John Jr. (Sonya), and daughter Sally Bentley (John Benson). He is survived by six grandchildren, Isabel and Owen Anderson, Sophie and Quinn Benson, and Max and Peter Bentley. He is also survived by his brother, Owen Bentley.

A service will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at Bethel Congregational Church at 10am. There will be a small reception afterward.

There will also be a Celebration of Life reception at the Multnomah Athletic Club January 7, 2023 from 4 – 7 pm.

If you would like to make a gift in John’s name to the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve, you may do so at https://bit.ly/3EcJ7vg.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.finleysunsethills.com for the Bentley family.