Obituary: James Henry Bennett

James Henry Bennett, age 82, of Prescott Valley, Arizona, passed away at home on July 20, 2019, of natural causes. Jim was born June 8, 1937, in Oregon City, Oregon, to Charles Willis and Laura Bennett.

As a young man full of energy he fibbed about his age and enlisted in the Marines at 16. He saw serious combat action in Korea.

Jim, or Hank, as some family members called him, was one of the nicest people you’d ever meet. A tough guy who worked hard and could tackle anything, he was also a sweetheart to his family and friends. Most everyone who knew him remembers his great laugh.

After his service years, Jim spent quite a lot of time in northern California and worked for the cutting edge company Aerojet, as well as the San Juan County School District. In the late ’70s he met the love of his life, Marilyn French, and they were married in Carson City, Nevada, in 1978. A year later they moved to Sedona, where they “lived happily ever after” as he started a successful painting business and she pursued the arts of ceramics, painting, and weaving to a very high level. After Marilyn passed away in 2014, Jim moved to Prescott Valley. He deeply appreciated the help and close friendship Rachel Glaser and her family as he worked to restart his life.

Jim had many interests. He was a great outdoorsman, a hunter who loaded his own shells, gold prospector, repairman, photographer, and over the last third of his life became expert at gemstone faceting, horseshoeing, (he served as President of the Verde Valley Horseshoe Club), leather work, a good enough guitarist that he actually taught his professional musician stepson how to pick, and his best for last, a great wood carver who went pro at shows and taught classes for such organizations as Disney. The folks at Sedona Ace Hardware will tell you that having a handyman like Jim put them a cut above the competition. They gave him a dedicated shop, and the years he spent helping customers with all sorts of projects were even documented in the press.

Jim is survived by and will be remembered with love by his stepsons, Steve Mostovoy and Greg Mostovoy; daughter-in-law, Cindy Flegenheimer and grandson, Sam Mostovoy. A memorial and gathering of friends will be held Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at VFW Post 7400, 705 E. Aspen St. in Cottonwood Arizona.

Information provided by survivors.


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