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Eric Francis Bennet
January 14, 1926 - March 3, 2019
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<div itemprop="description">Eric Francis Bennet<br>14 January 1926 - 31 March 2019<br>RCNVR<br><br>Many years after Eric retired, he announced to his family, “I’ve finished my book.”<br><br>“Say what, Dad?”<br><br>He had, over most of his adult life, been writing his memoirs. Nobody knew. And now he was ready to publish The Life & Times of Eric Bennet & Families.<br><br>We have just added an epilogue. Eric Francis Bennet died March 31, 2019 at his retirement home in Greely, south of Ottawa, after struggling with dementia, lung and heart disease. He was 93.<br><br>His early life was touched deeply by war. His father, Capt. George Bennet, fought in France in WW1 and died in 1927 from respiratory disease attributed to gas attacks. Eric was one year old. His mother Florence Bennet (Petts) fought the government for a military pension to support herself and her young sons Bill, Bruce, and Eric. She won.<br><br>All three boys signed up for WW2. Bill, an RCAF pilot, was killed in a training accident in Cape Breton. Bruce served in the RCAF, Eric in the Royal Canadian Navy, but thankfully the war ended before they shipped overseas.<br><br>Eric graduated from McGill University on the veteran’s plan, and worked a variety of jobs in several industries over his career. After moves from Montreal to Mississauga to Oakville, he and his family landed in Ottawa (Barrhaven) in 1972, where he worked for many decades at Treasury Board before retiring. Among his responsibilities were benefits and pensions for the Armed Forces.<br><br>Eric met his first wife, (Frances) Vivien Farmer, in 1957, at a party where she was a friend’s date. They married a year later and raised four kids, with Vivien working at various times as a teacher or librarian. They never had a lot of money, once losing their home in the hyper-inflation years of the late 1970s. But it was a loving family enjoying a middle-class Canadian life. The family was shattered when Vivien died of a heart attack in 2002, age 70.<br><br>Eric wasn’t good on his own. He was rescued by a friend, (Gladys) Hilda Eames, recently widowed. They fell for each other and married in 2004 and enjoyed their retirement years with trips to Florida, Greece, the U.K. and road-trips to the Stratford Festival. Hilda passed away in 2016.<br><br>Eric loved his wives and his kids, was a loyal employee, a patriot, a Senators and Blue Jays fan, liked magazines and reading the Citizen, and had a good sense of humour right to the end. He was generous and kind. He loved the outdoors and spent many early days in Morin Heights and the Laurentians. He painted in his retirement. For the full story, visit Lulu.ca and search for The Life & Times of Eric Bennet & Families. All proceeds from book purchases donated to the Ottawa Hospital.<br><br>Eric is survived by his children Doug (Nancy), Bill (Josie), Scott (Vesna) and Sara (Mike); Hilda’s children Jennifer (Tony), Suzanne (Phil) and Brian (Kim); brother Bruce and Bruce’s kids Heather, Dave, Laurie and Barb; sisters-in-law Phyllis Gillis and Jessie Farmer; brother-in-law Frank Farmer; grandkids Liam and Nora (and their mom Catherine), Nathan, Eliza, Misel, Eva, Sasha, Lillie and Jack; “fourth son” Dave Stubbs (Anne); and friends who are fewer these days.<br><br>Special thanks to the good people at Orchard Walk Retirement Living, Champlain LHIN, and the Ottawa Hospital. Donations to Ottawa Hospital would be appreciated.<br><br>Visitation will be held at the Pinecrest Visitation Centre, 2500 Baseline Road on Thursday, April 4th from 7pm until 9pm. A Funeral Service will be held in the Pinecrest Remembrance Chapel on Friday, April 5th at 10am.<br></div>