Robert Bennett

Robert Winston Bennett
BOISE - Robert Winston Bennett of Boise, attorney and retired magistrate judge, passed away from natural causes on April 10, 2009, at the age of 87.
There will be a viewing on Tuesday, April 14 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Summers Funeral Homes, Boise Chapel. Services will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 4061 Surprise Way on Wednesday, April 15 at 11 a.m., followed by internment at 1 p.m. at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. A reception will be at the family home from 3 to 5 p.m.
Robert was born in Boyd, Kentucky on October 12, 1921, to Cora Hensley and Jacob Lloyd Bennett. Boyd was a rural crossroads that boasted a grocery store, bank and service station. Robert's father was the town banker, which also meant that he was the cashier, loan officer and janitor. The family lived in an apartment upstairs. Robert spent his early childhood in northern Kentucky and was graduated from high school at Georgetown, Kentucky. He enrolled in Georgetown College, but his education was interrupted by the start of World War II.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Robert enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He attended training schools at Kelly Field and Big Springs, Texas. He was graduated as a second lieutenant and was then transferred to Gowen Field in Boise.  While training in Boise, he met Mary Martha Stockton, who was the fashion artist for the Mode. Their first date was April 10, 1943. Robert was transferred to Wendover and Kearny for training as a bombardier. After a long-distance proposal Mary Martha traveled by crowded troop train for their wedding in South Sioux City, Nebraska, on July 4, 1943.
Robert and his wife were stationed in Sioux City, Iowa, before he was assigned to a B-17 crew for overseas duty. Starting in June 1944, he flew 34 combat missions with the 358th Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, 3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force stationed at Molesworth, England. He participated in four major battles, among which was the Normandy breakthrough, where 5,000 planes were in the air at the same time. 
He also participated in the St. Lo relief of entrapped troops. He received, among other citations, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters. His unit received a Presidential Unit Citation. When he returned to the U.S. in November 1944, Robert served as a squadron officer at airfields in Texas until he was honorably discharged from duty in December 1945.
Robert attended Ohio State University and earned a degree in law. He was always a supporting fan of the Buckeyes. After graduation in 1949, the family moved to Boise, where he worked for a title company as an attorney. In 1951, the family moved to Pocatello, where he started a private law practice and handled a variety of civil and criminal cases. In 1974, he was appointed magistrate judge in the Idaho 6th Judicial District and was retained by the voters for four terms until he retired in 1989. 
He received a Special Award of Honor from the Board of Commissioners of the Idaho State Bar upon his retirement. They returned to Boise in 1990, and he was asked to substitute for judges around the state for many years until he chose to completely retire and enjoy some of his hobbies more fully.
Judge Bennett was active in civic matters as president of the Southeast Idaho Bar Association, a Boy Scout commander, president of the local Camp Fire Girls and served in various leadership positions in his churches. He was an active member of the Keystone Lodge No. 81 of the Masons, the Pocatello Scottish Rite and the El Korah Shrine and the Boise Court No. 31 Royal Order of Jesters. 
He was an avid fly fisherman, duck and pheasant hunter, golfer and outdoor enthusiast. He and Mary Martha were members of a gourmet supper club and he enjoyed being with his grandchildren and friends. He enjoyed meeting people and always made new friends wherever he went. It was a special treat for him to have coffee with his golfing buddies each week, even when it rained or he couldn't play actively anymore. Robert enjoyed his life to the fullest and lived it with enthusiasm and gratitude.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Martha and three children, Robert Jr. and his wife, Holly, of Carmichael, California, Marta Sue Sandmeyer and her husband, Greg, of Boise, and Jon Stockton Bennett and his wife, Marianne, of Leavenworth, Washington; his brothers, Sherwood, of Dublin, Ohio, and James, of Hypoluxo, Florida; and his sister, Rena Lou Lightner, and her husband, Walter, of Lexington, Kentucky also survive him. He has five grandchildren, Todd Bennett and his wife, Jackie, of Tracy, California, Rita Bennett, of Leavenworth, Washington, Emily Schmoker and her husband, John, of Seattle, Washington, and John and Victoria Sandmeyer of Boise. He has two great-grandchildren, Brenden and Sean Bennett of Carmichael, California.
The family thanks St. Luke's Hospital, Southwest Acute Care Hospital, and the Idaho State Veterans Home for the care each provided to Judge Bennett. 
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shriners Hospital in Salt Lake City or the Memorial Fund at the Idaho State Veterans Home.