Mr. Banta, 21, a lifelong resident of the Leonardo section of Middletown, died Jan. 22, 2011, at home. A 2007 graduate of Middletown High School South, he was employed as a stockman for Costco in Hazlet. Mr. Banta was preceded in death by his brothers Matthew Banta (2003) and Jeremy Banta (2005). Surviving are his parents, Robert and Audrey Banta of Leonardo; three brothers and a sisterin law, his twin, Noah Banta of Leonardo, Christopher and Heather McSherry of Manchester, and Jonathan Banta of Leonardo; three sisters and a brother-in-law, Kathleen and James Friedmann of Leonardo, April Banta and her fiancé, Sean, of Yucaipa, Calif., and Allison Banta and her fiancé, Tyler, of Fair Haven; and four nephews and three nieces. A funeral service was held at the John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, Middletown. Interment followed in the Bay View Cemetery, Leonardo.
