John Edward Bennett
John E. Bennett, 92, of 1601 Hooks St., died Aug. 17, 2016, at 5:15 a.m. in the Mike Conley Cornerstone Hospice House, Clermont, Fla.
He was born Oct. 1, 1923, in Mt. Vernon, Ill., to the late Edward Rosier and Anna Verne Jones Bennett.
A former resident of Warren, Pa.; Lawrenceville, Ill., and Jamestown, N.Y., John moved to Florida in 2015.
He is survived by sons, John E. Bennett Jr. and wife, Mary of The Villages, Fla., Gary W. Bennett and wife, Jean of Championsgate, Fla., and Robert A. Bennett and wife, Cheryl of Weldbank, Pa.; five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Leona Geer whom he married Dec. 12, 1942, in St. Louis, Mo.; a sister, Lillian Slycord of Elgin, Ill.; and a grandson, Robert Allan Bennett.
John served in the United States Army during World War II in the 102d “Ozarks” division which saw action in northern Europe where he was awarded two bronze stars. He was an avid golfer, and an intense fan since childhood of the Chicago Cubs. John retired from Truck-Lite Company in Falconer, N.Y., as VP Engineering in 1986 and kept active for many years with the company’s lunch group and with the Society of Automotive Engineers Lighting Committee. In his retirement, he frequented the Sheffield Pennsylvania senior center and enjoyed the activities there. He was interested in all types of music but had a special fondness for bluegrass and Texas ‘honky-tonk’ styles.
John was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregational Church of Jamestown, N.Y. He became a Master Mason in Fairfield Lodge #206, Fairfield, Ill. A member of the Valley of Jamestown, N.Y., and a Past Potentate of the Ismailia Temple of the Mystic Shrine of Buffalo N.Y., a life member of American Legion Post 28 (Lawrenceville, Ill.), a member of VFW Post 5277 (Clermont, Florida), and a member of the Board of Directors of the Jamestown Babe Ruth League baseball program for a number of years.
Friends will be received at the Borden Funeral Home 2-4 p.m., Friday Aug. 27, and 10-11 a.m. Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday the 28th at the Borden Funeral Home, in Sheffield, Pa.
The family suggest memorial donations to Shriners Hospitals for Children, 1645 West Eighth St., Erie, PA 16505, Cornerstone Hospice Foundation, 2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778, or Sheffield Senior Hospitality Center, PO Box 786, Sheffield, PA 16347.