Jennings "JB" Bennett

Jennings “JB” Bennett, age 88, passed away on March 11, 2023. He was born on October 19, 1934 to Eva Bennett Gawthrop in Pool, West Virginia. He was raised in Summersville, West Virginia and attended Nicholas County High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1952, took a break from 1954-1957 during which he married Audrey Strickland Bennett on March 2, 1957. He rejoined the U.S. Army and stayed until retiring as a Master Sergeant on September 30, 1980. While in the U.S. Army, he joined the Masonic Lodge where he reached 32° Freemason. After retiring from the U.S. Army, he continued working for the U.S. Government for another 25 years.

Along with Audrey, he was a loving parent to Thomas Jennings Bennett and Samuel Bruce Bennett.

While in the Army and during retirement, he would give his free time to officiate sports. First for the soldiers and then for his children. While not necessarily a standout player, he was a standout official in football, basketball, baseball, and softball. He knew how to manage conflict of the players and coaches and was widely respected as an official. He spent many years bowling, from early times in the Army, up to when he gave up bowling for golf. The balls are much lighter, but no less frustrating. The best part of playing golf was the breakfast, before tee time, with his golfing buddie- all of which talked a better game than they played, which doesn’t matter, it is all about the time spent together. Even after he could no longer play golf, he did not miss breakfast, even if the tee time was criminally early for the guys. What you should read in this text is, he didn’t want or need the spotlight, he was there and did everything possible to make things good for everyone else. There are a number of great stories from his past that stand out, some may have been embellished by time. Like the time he told the office of a side real estate job that he quit when they gave him an ultimatum to work on a certain weekend or quit. He already had plans to take his sons camping and fishing and that was more important. Or when he needed to make some money to pay the hospital after Thomas was born. Legend says, he went to a poker game and came home with a son. Or the poker game that he won an Indian Chief motorcycle, only to crash it on the ride home. He decided that motorcycles were not his thing at that time. By the way, both of his sons ended up owning motorcycles. He was most proud of being a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

He was preceded in death by his son Thomas in 2009. His brothers Ronnie Moses, Edward “Buck” Bennett, and Dean Gawthrop and his mother Eva Bennett Gawthrop.

He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Audrey Bennett, his son Bruce, his wife Maria, and his children Brodrick Bennett and Cassidy Bennett., his granddaughter Valari Bennett, and her children Zoe Bennett, Daniel Acuna, and Thomas Acuna. He is also survived by his brothers Allen Ray Gawthrop (Cathy), Gene Gawthrop (Pat), Jesse Brown (Mary), and sisters Rita Evans (Kenny) and Charlotte Cartwright.

Visitation will be held from 9:00am – 10:00am on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at Seaside Funeral Home, 4357 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412. A funeral service and internment will be held at the gravesite at 11:00 am on the same day, at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, 9974 I-37 (exit 9, I-37N), Corpus Christi, TX 78410.

Having the distinguished honor to serve as pallbearers are his grandchildren Valari Bennett, Brodrick Bennett, Cassidy Bennett, Zoe Bennett, Daniel Acuna Jr., Thomas Acuna.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association, at alz.org, in memory of “JB Bennett”.

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