George Bennett

1948 - 2010

George Paul Bennett, 61, of Kingsley, died early Sunday morning, April 11, 2010, from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident on West Lenox Church Road, Kingsley, not far from the family estate. He was the husband of the former Leona Mazurkiwicz. They would have celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary on October 21 of this year.
Born June 17, 1948, in Hop Bottom, he was the youngest son of the late Richard and Loretta (Wilbur) Bennett.
He was a graduate of Mountain View High School, class of 1967 and served with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Having retired this past week, he was a state certified welder and was a union iron worker for 41 years. He was a member of Local 417 Newburgh, N.Y., and Local 158 Binghamton, New York. He also worked for out of district Locals in Scranton, Philadelphia, Connecticut and Western New York. His welding expertise can be seen throughout the region on such projects as the Berwick Nuclear Power Plant, Procter & Gamble, the Lackawanna County Baseball Stadium, the Mohegan Sun Arena and several bridges and structures throughout the Binghamton and greater New York region.
He resided in Kingsley his entire life, during the early years of their marriage, George and Leona commuted between their homes at Acre Lake and Connecticut. Having built their dream home in 1994 the family often entertained summer picnics and pig roasts at the lake he built, known to the family as "Lake George." Friends and neighbors will fondly remember him as putting more miles on a car heading up the road at 3:30 a.m. to a job in New York.
An avid hunter and fisherman, he also enjoyed watching CNN and the history channel. He loved sharing stories and having had a great sense of humor, could often be found with a bowl of popcorn watching The Three Stooges. The greatest trip of his life was taking his family on a cruise to Greece and Turkey to see historic venues.
Of all of his accomplishments, his greatest joy was his children. He was so proud of his children, Lisa a registered nurse and Chad a speech-language pathologist. He was a wonderful dad and husband who worked hard to provide for his family.
He is survived by one daughter: Lisa Michele and her husband Frank B. Barhight III of Kingsley; one son: Chad Frank Bennett of Kingsley.; his mother-in-law: Helen Mazurkiwicz of Hop Bottom; several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends; his extended iron workers' family; and the beloved family dog, Lucy, who knew him as her "Grampie."
The funeral will be Thursday, April 15, at 11 a.m. from the Shifler-Parise Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 18 Airport Road, Clifford, with Rev. Russell Lockwood, officiating. Interment, Maplewood Cemetery, Kingsley.
Friends may call today, Wednesday, Apr. 14, 4-8 p.m.
For directions, to send on-line condolences to the family or to view his online memorial scrapbook, please visit www.parisefuneralhome.com