Joan Bennett

Joan Bennett, 82, of Great Falls, owner of Bennett Motors and former Great Falls mayor, died of natural causes on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at Peace Hospice of Montana.Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at Schnider Funeral Home from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the vigil service which will be at Holy Spirit Catholic Church at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Her funeral liturgy will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, with burial to follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery.Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.Joan Kathleen (Rowley) Bennett was born in Seattle, Washington on March 19, 1930 to Harold and Maty Rowley.She attended schools in Seattle, for four years in Everett and then again in Seattle, graduating from Queen Anne High School in 1947.After two years at Seattle University, she transferred to Gonzaga University in Spokane and graduated with a BA in English in 1952.Joan worked at the book store at Gonzaga and met a handsome young man (Richard C. Bennett) who was employed by the Gonzaga Treasurers Office.Two years later, on January 16, 1954, Joan and 2nd Lt. Dick Bennett were married at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Boston Mass where he was stationed at the Boston Army Base for the next year and a half.After returning to Great Falls in 1955, Joan was involved in various church, school and civic groups and in politics as a Democratic County Chairman and later as a Committee Woman from Cascade County.As a member of the American Association of University Women, she led Junior Great Books groups, did taping for the blind, and worked on the AAUW Book Sale for many years. As Secretary-Treasurer for Bennett Motors, she served on the board of the Chamber of Commerce from 1986 to 1989 and also on the Chambers Local Government Committee for many years.Because of her association with the St. Vincent de Paul Society and immediate involvement with low-income families, she witnessed the sub-standard housing conditions of many Great Falls residents and chaired the Citizens Involvement Committees Housing Task Force, was a Commissioner for the Great Falls Housing Authority from 1978 to 1986, and served on the Montana Board of Housing from 1981 to 1989.Joan was a trustee at the University of Great Falls from 1987 to 1994 when she became a board member of the Providence Services Corp., serving in that capacity for nine years.In 1984, she was elected to the Cascade County Study Commissiona two year commitmentand was later elected to two terms on the Great Falls City Commission (1989 to 1987) and one term as Mayor of Great Falls from 1998 to 2000.At this time she was also president of Montana League of Cities and Towns.In 1993, she became the first chairman of the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center Fund, Inc.For ten years, Joan was on the board of the Montana Community Foundation and later of the Great Falls Area Community Foundation.Until January of 2012 , Joan was on the Billings/Great Falls Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Committee on Planning.She was also a member of the Ladies Order of Ancient Hibernians and in 1993 was an Athena recipient.From 1989 until September 14th this year Joan was the scribe for the 6:30AM Friday Morning Tax Study Group.Every activity resulted in valued friendships, wonderful events and new horizons.Most weekends found all the Bennett family ( until they escaped into college), more or less willingly, in a camper or cabin in the Little Belt Mountains, or in ski season parked in a motor home in the parking lot at Showdown.Dick and Joan were so proud of the achievements of their lively, lovable, and loving children and grandchildren.Joan is survived by her husband, Dick Bennett of Great Falls; daughters and sons-in-law Kathleen and Jeff Van Wychen of Minneapolis, MN,Margaret and Kevin Lawson of Portland Oregon, Dr. Laura Bennett and Ron Walters of Lewistown, Cari and Dr. Jim Yturri of Great Falls, Betsy and David Eickhoff of St. Cloud, MN; son and daughter-in-law Charles and Jamie Bennett of Great Falls; grandchildren Dr. Sarah Lawson of Phoenix, AZ, Melissa Lawson of Los Angeles, CA, Seth Walters, Camp Pendleton, CA, Josie Walters and Maida Walters of Lewistown, Ben and Catherine Yturri of Great Falls, and Rachel, Maija, Daniel, and Jacob Eickhoff of St. Cloud, MN.Joan is also survived by her brother, Dan (Karen) Rowley of Anthem, AZ; sister-in law Brenda Rowley, Corvallis OR; nieces Susan (Keith) Spitz of Layfayette, CO,Karen Burns (Eric Blakeslee) of Raleigh, NC, and Jim and Dana Rowley of Mill Creek, WA; brother-in-law Bro. MichaelBennett, S. J. of Spokane, WA; sisters-in-law Joanne (Vern) Waldenberg, Sr. Margaret Bennett, CHM of Davenport, IA, and Mary Louise Gallagher of Jacksonville Beach, FL; and all the wonderful Waldenberg and Gallagher nieces and nephews.Memorials in Joans name can be made to Holy Spirit Parish, 201 44th St. So., Great Falls, MT 59405; to the Poor Clares of Montana, 3020 18th Ave. So., Great Falls, MT 59405;to St. Martin de Porres Mission of Great Falls, 1920 10th Ave. So., Great Falls, MT 59405, to the Ursuline Center Historical Foundation, 2300 Central Ave., Great Falls, MT 59401, to the Great Falls Area Community Foundation, P. O. Box 1896 Great Falls, MT. 59403.Joan and her family have appreciated the support and encouragement so many have provided during these past ten months.Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at www.schniderfuneralhome.com.