JOHN BENNETT

1917 - 2007

John Thomas Bennett passed away in Edmonton on Sunday, April 15, 2007, at the age of 89, after a tenacious battle with COPD.
He leaves to mourn his loss four daughters, Carol (Wayne) Chesney, Susanne Bennett, Barbara (Rod) Ralph, Valerie (Brian) Pearson; his grandchildren, Cameron, Jeremy, Kathleen, Jennifer, Ryan, Sharran, Tara, Shawn; his great-grandchildren, Kaitlin, Breanna, Kirsten, Marisa, Maddison, Mariah and Joss and his brother, Garfield (Dolly).
He was predeceased by his wife, Joan (Parker), his infant daughter, Laura and his granddaughter, Jodi; his sisters, Mary Lewis, Ruth Bruce and brother, Lloyd.
John was born December 22, 1917 in Medicine Hat and farmed in the dryland area near Retlaw. He was admired for his excellent horsemanship. He was a veteran of WW II. He served overseas for four years and nine months as a sapper in the Engineers Corps (surveyor). He brought home his war bride in 1946. He belonged to the Royal Canadian Legion for sixty Years. In 1955 he moved his family to Edmonton where he ran several successful businesses before joining the Department of Manpower with the Federal Government. He retired at the age of 63 to travel and enjoy his many interests including ballroom dancing, cribbage, workouts at the YMCA, playing pool, and reading, especially autobiographies and history. He was a man who had a lifelong passion for education and a thirst for knowledge. John liked to take long hikes and often used his cane to direct traffic or to salute his friends. He spent his last seven years as a resident of the Churchill Retirement Community.
The Funeral Service will be held at Retlaw Union/United Church, Retlaw, Alberta on Friday, April 20, 2007 at 4:00 P.M. with Susan Bowyer of the Parkview United Church in Vauxhall, officiating. Interment to follow at the Taber Memorial Garden.