Marva Bennett

1925 - 2014

March 27, 1925-August 7, 2014
Marva Joy Zwahlen Bennett, our wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother returned home to her Heavenly Father's arms, August 7, 2014, while enjoying her second-retirement in Hilo, Hawaii.
Marva Joy lived up to her name and was a Marvelous Joy to all who knew her. She always had a smile and a twinkle in her eye to offer her family, friends and strangers alike. Marva Joy was born in Ferron, Utah on March 27, 1925 to Hyrum William Zwahlen and Emma Ann Rappleye. After her mother's death in 1934, she was raised by her father and his new wife, Zelda Fullmer Brewster. Marva helped with the farm including milking the cows (thumbs in!), tending to the bees, and making the wonderful ice cream the Zwahlen's were well known for. She attended Snow College and received her B.S. degree from Brigham Young University in Education. She served an LDS mission in the Central Atlantic States Mission including North Carolina and Virginia.
While on a teaching assignment in Layton, Utah, Marva telephoned a fellow returned missionary from North Carolina and met him on a Sunday afternoon. That night she told her roommate that she had just met the man she was going to marry. She was married to her sweetheart, Charles Everett Bennett, on August 6, 1951, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple by President Ezra Taft Benson. Marva Joy raised six rambunctious boys and gave unending devotion to her husband Charles particularly throughout his time as a member of the Utah House of Representatives and the State Senate. Marva also became her husband's main caregiver after his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease. Marva Joy sang beautiful harmonies in her LDS church choir, played piano, and enjoyed dancing of all sorts. She always wore a colorful flower in her hair and loved the leis she would later wear during her time in Hawaii.
She is survived by her six sons, Charles Everett, Jr. (Rhonda); Mark Zwahlen (Kelly); Gary Lambert (Sandra); Vern Leroy (Billie Jo); James Hyrum (Frank); David Lewis (Kristi Kea); 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by her husband Charles Everett Bennett, Sr., her brother Albert Vern Brewster, and one daughter, Ann.
We will miss her smile, the twinkle in her eyes, the flower in her hair and her endless generosity. We love you Marva Joy! Me Ke Aloha Pumehana!
Funeral services will be held Saturday, the 16th of August, 2014, at 11 a.m. at the Imperial Second Ward, 2700 South Fillmore Street (1520 East). Friends may call one hour prior at the church. Interment at Mountain View Memorial Cemetery, 3115 East 7800 South. Directors: Independent Funeral Service.