Barbara Cameron Benedict (nee Lindsay), age 86, passed peacefully in her sleep April 11, 2026 in Mesquite, NV.

A New Jersey native, Barb lived in various states where her father was a scientist with the Manhattan Project during WWII. She married Air Force Veteran Paul Benedict on Valentines Day, 1975, and in 2001, they moved from New Jersey to Mesquite.

She was an avid community volunteer, and was a member of the Exchange Club of Mesquite for nearly 25 years, also serving as its President for at least 3 terms. She was dedicated to supporting our Veterans, including joining Ed Fizer and a number of other Vietnam Veterans in bringing the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall to Mesquite and especially sharing her organizational skills in planning and presenting the 1000 Flags Over Mesquite Field of Honor to our Veterans for 19 years.

Barb was a pioneer computer programmer, with over thirty years experience in the computer industry, from large scale mainframes to single function micro computers. Among her accomplishments, she was instrumental in the development of ANSI X12 Standards for the publishing industry, a member of BISAC, the Book Industry Standards and Accrediting Committee, and a founding member and former National Technical Director of PUBNET, the publishing industry electronic data transfer community. She retired from John Wiley & Sons publishers as a Senior Project Director in 2000.

Barb and Paul met and worked closely together day and night as the 2 person programming department at the Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters in New York City in 1969, and remained close friends as their careers took different paths over the years.

Barb loved maps and shunpiking. She and Paul found so many amazing sights while taking road trips throughout America, avoiding interstates whenever possible. There was never any hurry – if she saw something on a map that sounded interesting, even if it was well out of their way, that became their next destination, and it was always worth the trip.

Barb saw dogs as God’s greatest gift to us, and always had gentle pats and chin scratches and a pocketful of treats for all she encountered. She remembered all their names, and she even liked most of their humans (and sometimes she remembered their names too). She wanted her final trip to include a visit to all her 4-legged friends at the Rainbow Bridge while on her way to the hereafter.

Barb entered Hospice just 2 days after her 51st wedding anniversary. Special thanks to the staff of BeeHive Homes Assisted Living and and Mesa View Hospice for not only lovingly caring for Barb, but also giving Paul the support he needed as he said goodbye to his closest friend.

Never a fan of flowers, a donation in her memory to either the Mesquite Salvation Army (742 W. Pioneer Blvd Suite D, 89027) or to the Paws of Hope Foundation (801 Paloma Circle, Mesquite 89027) would be nice.

A celebration of Barb’s life will be held at a later date.