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Obituary: Richard “Dick” C. Bennett

Posted at 9:47 AM, Jan 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-01 15:44:01-05

Richard C. (Dick) Bennett passed away peacefully on December 21, 2018 at Highgate Senior Living in Great Falls.

Rosary service will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. The funeral Mass will be Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. The 65th year of Joan and Dick’s wedding anniversary. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Dick was born in 1930 to Carroll and Josephine Bennett. He attended St. Mary’s in Great Falls, St Thomas Boarding School in Minneapolis and received his Bachelor of Business in Accounting from Gonzaga University where he met his future wife Joan Rowley. He was an enthusiastic salesman and while serving out his Army ROTC commitment at Boston Army Base, he convinced Joan to move to Boston with a marriage proposal. Not long after they married, they moved back to Great Falls so he could join his father in running Bennett Motors.

While owning and managing his successful automobile dealership, Bennett Motors, for 40 years, every employee became family to him as he often offered unsolicited paternal advice to anyone who would accept his wisdom. During the years he worked with his father, Carroll and subsequently his daughter Cari, he added GMC and Subaru franchises to the Pontiac franchise. In later years as a corporate advisor, he oversaw the addition of Budget Rental Car, Buick, Nissan, Hyundai and VW franchises and the purchase of additional downtown property to accommodate those franchises.

Dick, along with Joan, was committed to serving others. They were actively involved and supported St. Vincent de Paul ministries, St. Martin de Porres, Holy Spirit Catholic Church and the Poor Clares of Montana. Additionally, Dick was active in the Ancient Order of the Hibernians and in the fraternal orders of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks and Knights of Columbus.

To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the Schnider Funeral Home website.









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