John Ernest Bennett

John Ernest Bennett, age 60, passed away unexpectedly Thursday afternoon, November 10, 2022 in his childhood home in Battle Creek, MI. John was born Christmas Eve, December 24th,1961, the youngest of four to James G. and Grace (Davis) Bennett. He graduated from Pennfield High School in 1980.

John fit a lot of life into his short time on earth and was loyal to what he loved. John was a dedicated Eagle Scout as a child and loved to participate in theater starting in high school; some of his favorites over the years included being Abner in Lil' Abner and Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol at Bear Valley Church. He was a life-long learner and incredibly intelligent man with three Bachelor degrees from MSU in German, Music, and Electrical Engineering, a Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security from CU Denver, a Masters in Business from Southern Methodist University, and a Masters in Telecommunications from MSU. John was employed as a Business Value Consultant for Oracle working with Cloud Software in his last few years of life, a job he greatly enjoyed. He was a property manager for several rental places and started several businesses using his financial planning and entrepreneurial skills. Some of the organizations John was a part of throughout the years were the Denver Rotary Club, German American Chamber of Commerce, and Foster and Adoption Families Support Group. He was also on the board of Servants of Christ International serving in a financial role and introduced the organization to the plight of the orphan; now it has doubled in its outreach. He spoke German fluently and one of his greatest loves was to travel having visited all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Korea, China, Nepal, India, and 20 European countries. He was able to make a pilgrimage to Obberamagua, Germany this past July to witness the PassionSpiel, a life goal of his.

John attended Woodland Church. He was an avid musician and served three churches, singing and playing the keyboard. He enjoyed writing music and produced two albums called Sing Him Praise and Step By Step: Life With Him. He was mechanically inclined and enjoyed the challenge of fixing things, including working on cars. He loved people and helped his friends, family and others by being Mr. Fix-It. He always showed up for his family and nurtured them through intentional acts of service. John will be remembered as a kind husband and loving father.

John is survived by his beloved family: the love of his life for 33 ½ years, Laura Bennett; his five children and three sons-in laws Karin (Adam Mobarek) of Raleigh, NC; Marlena (Evan Wiederspan) of Seattle, WA, Naomi (Aaron Smith), Jacob, and Sasha Bennett of Lakewood, CO, his two sisters Carol (Ron) Marley of Spokane, WA and Sarah (Lonnie) Carbaugh of OK, and sister-in- law Cynthia Bennett of MI.

John was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, David Bennett. His family is creating a charitable foundation for the nonprofit John had started called thriveforlifeco.org. This organization was near and dear to his heart and helps support young adults aging out of the foster care system. Until the charity can be legally finalized, please make donations in care of Laura Bennett in lieu of flowers and send to 125 E. Sunset Boulevard, Battle Creek, MI 49017. Please include your email if you would like to be added to the mailing list for updates.

Friends and family will be received at 10:00 am to 11:00 am, Saturday, November 19, 2022, at Woodland Church, 14425 S. Helmer Road, Battle Creek, MI 49015, where a service to celebrate his life will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, November 19, 2022 in the church atrium. Please park on the North side of the building. Arrangements have been made by the Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home & Cremation Care.