Curt Bench was one of the most beloved members of the Mormon history community. As we look back at those we’ve lost in 2021, I wanted to share some highlights from my 2017 interview with Curt as we discussed the Mark Hofmann bombings. Curt passed away on August 17, 2021.
Curt: Well that night I had talked to the police and someone suggested that I have the—we live in the county and someone suggested that we have county sheriffs go out to my house and look for bombs, so I sent my family to my mother-in-law’s place so that our house would be vacant, and so I was there with two sheriff’s deputies and we were going through my house room by room, in the garage, in the yard. There was actually kind of a lighter moment when I’m leading the way pushing doors open.
GT: Gingerly.
Curt: Gingerly. There was something in black plastic by my front door that I didn’t remember what it was. We’re all looking at it like, what’s that? And I’m thinking, I don’t know. It was big and wrapped in black plastic so I called my wife and she reminded me a neighbor had brought it over for me to look at. It was some old thing they wanted. So anyway, I’m pushing doors open and we’re walking through and shining lights and these guys are ready for action and I remember saying, ‘Hey I don’t get paid to do this. You do this!” So I made one of them get in front of me, going room to room.
GT: You didn’t have a flak jacket on.
Curt: Yeah exactly. So yeah that was genuine, I guess you could say that was genuine fear of at least the possibility of what could happen, particularly I was worried about my family.
GT: Especially in light of Kathy Sheets.
Curt: Yeah exactly.
GT: She was an unintended victim.
Curt: Exactly. Although we didn’t know why she died at the time.
Did you interact with Curt? What are your memories? Check out our conversation…. Here are links to the full conversation with Curt.
