Benny Classetti

Benny Classetti, born August 15, 1915, passed away peacefully in his home on December 25, 2014. Preceded in death by his parents, Ernesto and Colomba (Colasante) Classetti, his loving wife of 59 years Irene (Barberio) Classetti, and his son in law Stephen J. Newman. He is survived by his daughters Jeanne Classetti of Boulder, CO and Joan Classetti Newman of Knoxville, TN.
Benny was born in Cascade, WV to Italian immigrants. As a young boy, he worked in the coal mines helping his father who was a blacksmith and he had a shoe shine stand. He graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and starred in several musical stage productions while at the University. He was also an avid tennis player, competing in local tournaments.
Benny enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served for four years in WWII. As a first lieutenant, he was stationed in Panama, Phillipines, Japan, Germany and France. After the war, he and his wife moved to the Los Angeles area so that he could work in the motion picture industry. After appearing in several films, he decided to go into real estate development and started B & I Development Company. He retired in the early 1970’s and lived his dream of traveling the world, visiting over 80 different countries with his wife.
He loved music, movies, traveling, animals, hiking, and his family and friends. Benny had a big heart and donated to numerous charities over the years.
The family wishes to thank his many caregivers who took such wonderful care of him in the past year.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.