MARY L. BENNETT

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August 9,1912 - June 23, 2010

Mary Lou Platner Bennett, age 97, of Erie, passed away Wednesday, June 23, 2010, at Presque Isle Rehab and Nursing Center. 
She was born in Emporium, Pa., August 9, 1912, daughter of the late Frank and Mary Stombol Platner. 
Mary had been employed at Weil-McLean Company for 14 years, until her retirement. She enjoyed crocheting and especially spending time with her grandchildren. Preceded in death by her husband, Ira L. Bennett; three sons, Neil, Clifton and Larry Bennett; a daughter, Joyce Barnett; a grandson Christopher Kaus, a sister Clara Gribble; and a brother, Anthony Platner, a daughter-in-law JoAnn Bennett,  a son-in-law Charles Kaus, a granddaughter Cathy Snyder and a great-grandson Bruce Kaus. 

 Mary is survived by one daughter, Clara Kaus of Waterford; three sons, Ira Bennett of Harborcreek, John and Steven Bennett of Erie; many grandchildren; great-grandchildren; great-great grandchildren; great-great-great- grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
 Funeral was handled by Dusckas Funeral Home, Inc., She is laid to rest in Girard Cemetery.

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Memories

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May 13, 2012

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May 5, 2012
Hey Mary,

Today your son Steve got a cell phone. He called me and asked me if I would program it for him.  I put my number and Ira's number in there.
Not that he doesn't have a home phone, but SafeNet  sent letters out to people living alone and those who can't afford a cellphone and so he replied to the letter and they sent him one.  He gets 250 minutes a month. He said he probably won't even use that many, but its good he has it. 
He's alone but doing ok.  Ira does come by and they do go to the store and breakfast once in a while.  He still hangs the twirly birds on the porch and takes them down each night.

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August 9, 2011
Stopping by to wish Mary a Happy Birthday, she's 99 today.  Celebrating with my parents and her family in Heaven, and here on Earth. We wish her happiness.
Margaret

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June 23, 2011 
A year has passed already, how the time does go. The sun still rises and sets, and the moon does glow.
Mary is here with us in spirit as I have been told, One day we will see her again and her hands you may hold.
Margaret

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April 24, 2011

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December 2010
Wishing  a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.  Please remember our loved ones during this holiday season.

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November 22, 2010 Found these in my mom's photo albums.  Shows happy times.

On a trip out west, stopped at White Sands New Mexico	Visiting Tony and Marg in Santa Barbara California.

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August 9, 2010 
Today is my daughter Mary's 17th birthday. And Mary Bennett's 98th. My Mary didn't want a cake or fuss. We went out to dinner and I took her shopping. It's so different in our neighborhood with my mom gone and Mary gone. We think of them and show our love in so many ways. But still we feel the loss of the most important person in our life. Our mothers. My heart goes out to Mary's family on this day.

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We sat together in the back yard listening to the soothing sounds of the train as it faded off into the distance.  I watched her face relax as she leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes.  A surge of gratefulness welled up within me.  There was something wonderful in the air.  The sun kissed the horizon, lighting the sky with a rose and lavender blush.

A cool breeze chased away the last hot, humid air of another summer day and made gentle music in the lilac bushes nearby.   The tree frogs joined the serenade as dusk was swept away by the dark of the evening.  The streetlights shone in the distance, but their glare did not reach our resting place in the freshly mown grass, nor did it dim the stars as they began to twinkle softly above.  The sounds of the city reached out all around us, but only muffled remnants of the traffic made their way to our back yard haven.

I knew she took as much contentment from these simple pleasures as I did, and we sat sharing the silence, the stars, the restful touch of the summer wind.  We had not spoken a single word.  Finally, she shifted in her seat.  As she leaned toward me, she spoke very softly, almost as if in a dream.

“You know one day I won’t be here to sit with you like this.”  I opened my mouth and began to protest, but she looked at me in earnest and something about the way her eyes shone in the dark quieted me. Something about the expression on her face touched me so deeply, I can see it still.

“Someday I won’t be here, but you’ll never be alone.  When you look up at the sky full of beautiful stars, just remember, I will be up there looking back at you.”

Warm Regards,
Angela Lloyd

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The dark rough waters rushed through me, threatening to sweep away my very breath.  But eventually the tears subsided. 
 I found a warm, solid pulse remained in me…

the part of her that she gave to me…those thoughts of life and death, tears and laughter, song and silence, 
which formed the very best part of who I am.

As much of herself as she gave away, there was more to her than ever just one heart could know.  She was strong when this one needed strength, soft when another longed for comfort.  She laughed when that one needed cheering, and danced when we all needed a party.  She made everyone – each and every one – feel special.  Each loving relationship was unique, and we all felt uniquely loved.  She held each one of us so dear that we literally felt held, sealed to her heart with a bond that we knew to be all our own. 

What a remarkable gift.

Young folks came back as adults to tell her of their lives, to tell her they never forgot her loving kindness.  Sons and daughters came back to her as parents and reminisced about time spent in her back yard or on her front porch, reminisced about the time when they felt accepted and included.   They came back because they felt they belonged – for once and for all time – to her family circle.  She never turned away a weary soul, no matter whether they were weary from long travel, deep hardship, or profound sorrow.

The acceptance was more than being allowed in… it was being welcomed, being drawn, being gathered in.  We were made to feel special.  Really, in all the world, what more do we seek beyond that?  Why do we chase after money, position, power and fame?  We want to feel special, to feel we matter, to feel we count for something.  Who among us does not feel a singular bond with her? 
Who among us does not feel we knew her in a way no one else could know?

She had a way of finding and giving a piece of herself to us all.  Such a gift cannot be washed away by any flood of space or time or grief.  Books full of songs and poems and stories I could write and never tell the whole of her:

Mary L. Bennett

August 9, 1912-June 23, 2010

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6/25/2010

To all the Bennett family - I am so sorry for your loss..... Mary was a very special lady and will be missed by all who knew her. 
I grew up across the street from Mary and family. She always treated us Case kids as part her own family. I have many fond memories of both her and the family..

Patrick Case and family
Statham, Ga

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June 25, 2010
To my best friends, Clara and Connie and to all the Bennett family - I am so sorry for your loss. Your mother was a very special lady and will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Now she is watching over you from above and waiting for you to join her someday. You have my deepest sympathy. I am remembering you and her in my thoughts and prayers. God bless all of you.
Mary Hodges,

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6/25/2010
Will always remember you grandma B.♥ miss you already....now you're with my dad! 2 more angels that are watching over us ♥ 
Heather Bennett

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Tammy Johnson, 
Erie, Pennsylvania

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© Life Ever After 2010