Richard C. Bennett

In the late 20s, the slower pace of life of the mid-west was giving way to hard economic times that laid ahead for the nation. From coast to coast, the Great Depression was officially launched in a country that had seen much growth and prosperity. Despite these troubling times, the young couple of Charles Charley and Pauline (Bodenlos) Bennett remained ever hopeful that it was the right time for a family. It was on February 16, 1930, when they welcomed the birth of their first child but as is tends to run in the Bennett family it was their first and second children. Richard Dick and his fraternal twin Robert Bob were born. Bob was first followed by Dick. From that point on the competition never stopped for who would be first! With the love for their two boys Charley and Pauline wanted to grow that with the birth of their daughter, Caroline a few years later.

Born in Lakewood, Ohio, a western suburb of Cleveland, the family lived enjoying the simple life of Lakewood. Charley would go to work every day at the White Truck Company and Pauline would tend to the home and try to keep the children in line. Like the movie Christmas Story, a movie Dick always said was a reflection of his child hood, the kids could play in the streets, walk to and from school, and play at the playground. Many times they boys would race home and fight over who would get the cream off the milk bottles left by the milk man on the door step.

Though times were tough there were still things to do. Visits to the beaches of Lake Erie, a Cleveland Indians game at the ballpark and trips to Kentucky where Charley was born to visit his own twin sister, Any Laurie (Bennett) Hail and her husband Fletcher. They lived on a small farm in the town of Owensboro.

After the Second World War in the late 40s, times were getting better and the family would start to travel more. They started to travel to Florida. On some of the trips Charley and Pauline would drop the kids off in Owensboro to stay for the week. This is where Dick found his love for being on a farm. Spending time with his uncle he developed a passion for farming and raising animals.

In 1948 Dick graduated from Lakewood High School. Following graduation he spent the next four years working on his Bachelors Degree in Industrial Psychology at Bowling Green State University.

By this time the country was in conflict again. With his college behind him, Dick enlisted in the U.S. Army USAR. He became a Corporal in the infantry. He received a National Defense Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. That wasnt all he received while in the service. While stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as fate would have it, it was also the place where he came to know his one true love, Lieutenant Nurse Sara Tenaglia USAR. They met at a social event they both attended. Though frowned upon because she was a higher ranking officer, before long they shared a mutual attraction. Quite smitten, they began dating. Aftercompleting their services to the Army, on September 1, 1956, they were happily married in Dicks hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

They newlyweds living in Bay Village, Ohio were eager to start a family. Unable to have children of their own, Dick and Sara chose to adopt. The first adoption was their daughter, Nancy in 1963 followed by son, Robert Bob in 1963 and son, William Bill in 1967.

As a small family Dick needed to get a good job to support the family. Cleveland being an industrial city, he started working at the United States Steels (USS) Cuyahoga works. With his college degree and military service it did not take long for the USS Management to see the potential for Dick. USS shortly enrolled Dick in the corporation Manager Development Program. Dick would eventually be promoted to Manager of the Hot Mill where coiled steel rod was made.

With things going well, Dick still had that true passion for a country life. He started looking for the farm house that he always wanted. He found his fixer upper just outside the area of Medina, Ohio. This run down abandoned farm house (the story told in the book Echoes in the walls by Katrina Morgan) over the years would be the corner stone of the family. In time Dick and Sara got the house fixed back to its turn of the century charm. Sara filled the home with her antiques. Dick worked on clearing the overgrown farm, fixing and building new barns, fencing in areas for pastures for his livestock and putting in gardens for Sara to can vegetables from. Dick would even grow his own Christmas trees, one of his many passions. Over the years the family raised livestock for the local fairs, did school events, sports and enjoyed life on the farm. The children grew, went off to school and started lives of their own.

As always hard economic times fell on the steel industry. USS closed the Cuyahoga works in 1983. Taking early retirement from USS, Dick took up consulting work in the steel industry for a few years. While consulting he was offered a job to manage the 12 rod mill at North Western Steel and Wire in Sterling, Illinois.

Dick and Sara sold the Ohio farm and headed west. Now living in Illinois he found a new farm in Tampico. As in Ohio it needed a little TLC but soon he had his gardens, cattle and Christmas trees that he loved so much. At the age of 65 it was finally time to leave the steel industry behind. As much as he loved his farm, he hated the blistering cold of Illinois winters. The warmth of the south while visiting friends in the Carolinas intrigued him to leave the farm and build a home in Seneca, South Carolina on Lake Keowee.

They loved the lake area but that need for land and growing things was still there in his heart. After a few years they sold the Seneca home for a home in Pendleton, South Carolina. Here he could have a garden, pond to fish and the comforts of country life to enjoy the retirement years of their life. Here the family could bring the grandchildren to visit as well as their many friends for over the years would come to share memories.

As Dick and Sara got older, they needed to be closer to family and moved from South Carolina to The Hearth of Sycamore Village just west of Fort Wayne four and a half years ago.

On the evening of Monday, October 10, 2016, Richard C. Bennett passed away in his room at the age of 86. Survivors include his sons, Bill (Lisa) Bennett of Columbia City and Bob (Kris) Bennett of Ashland, Ohio; six grandchildren; and one great-grandson. He is also survived by brother-in-law, Ken Russell of Rocky River, Ohio; sisters-in-law, Roberta Bennett of Anderson, Indiana, Margie Poepoe of Union, New Jersey, Gloria Samartino of Piscataway, New Jersey, and Cecile (Dan) Surman of Hackensack, New Jersey. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Pauline Bennett; brother, Robert Bennett; sister, Caroline Russel; his loving wife, Sara Bennett on August 14, 2016; and daughter, Nancy Bennett on July 19, 2006.

Friends may call on Saturday October 15th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services for Dick will follow immediately at 3:30 p.m. Certified Funeral Celebrant, Sharon Brockhaus will be officiating. Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to the Heifer International Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas. At a later date, Dick and Sara will be laid to rest where they had met at Ft. Sill in the Ft. Sill National Cemetery inElgin, Oklahoma. Please visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send a condolence to his family, to share a favorite memory of Richard and to sign his register.