DUDLEY - Joe D. Bennett, 83, died Monday, April 1 at home with family at his side.
He leaves his wife of almost 60 years, Joan V. (Krawczyk) Bennett; 3 sons, Michael J. Bennett and his wife Tara of New Braintree, John T. Bennett and his wife Carrie of Sudbury, and Matthew D. Bennett and his wife Heather of Malden; 4 grandchildren, Sidney, Henry, Harrison and Heath Bennett; a brother-in-law, George Gauer of Meadow Grove, Nebraska; and nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his sister, Judith Gauer, and by his brother, Charles Bennett.
He was born and raised on the family farm in LaPorte, Indiana, the son of Ora J. and Oka J. (Collins) Bennett. He graduated from LaPorte High School in 1953 where he was a standout baseball pitcher for the varsity team. Thereafter, he was signed as a pitching prospect by the Chicago Cubs and played in the Cubs farm system before enlisting in the military.
Mr. Bennett was a United States Army veteran who was deployed in Korea, where he served as a paratrooper and in intelligence as part of the Eighth Army’s ASA unit.
After his discharge at Fort Devens, he secured a position as a compositor at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Over a career that spanned 40 years, he worked his way to various management roles, retiring in 1997 as the superintendent of the composing room.
Mr. Bennett was a co-founder of the Webster-Dudley Pop Warner Football program and longtime member of the Dudley Parks & Recreation Committee, where he helped lead major improvements to the town’s public beach and J.C. Crawford Field. He offered frequent, vocal support for Shepherd Hill High School’s athletic teams. He was a dominant semi-pro fast pitch softball pitcher in leagues in this area and also an avid golfer, holding memberships at both the Nichols College Golf Club and the Thompson Speedway Golf Club. He loved to cook and was a proud father of his three “boys” and a devoted husband.
The funeral will be held on Saturday, April 6, at 10:15 AM in the Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, 340 School Street, Webster. Burial will be in St. Joseph Garden of Peace, Webster. Visitation will be held from 8:45 to 10:15 AM Saturday in the funeral home, prior to the service. The Webster-Dudley Veterans Council will perform military honors at the cemetery. Donations in his memory may be made to the Webster-Dudley Veterans Council, 4 Veterans Way, Webster, MA 01570.