Barbara Bennett

ENOSBURGH - Barbara Bennett died at 1:30 am on 14 June 2014 with her son holding her hand. Barbara was born 25 February 1927 in Derby, Connecticut to LeRoy Pearly and Ruth Bartlett Bennett. Bea or Bobby was what her sister, nephews, nieces and cousins called her. She attended Green Mountain College for a year but moved onto Danbury Hospital in Connecticut to attend X-Ray technology school. She met her first husband Leo Francis McMorrow (died 1966) at The State Farm Correctional Facility in Middleborough, Massachusetts when she was a student x-Ray technologist and he was a Correctional Officer. They married and settled in Middleborough where they had three children, Lynn Bennett, Thomas Earle (deceased 2012) and David Ross. The family moved to Egypt Lake, Tampa, Florida in 1956 and Barbara raised her children and worked at the little lake side beach house. Eventually we moved to Clearwater, Florida and she went back to work as an x-ray technologist at Suncoast Osteopathic Hospital in 1962.
She worked at Suncoast until her second marriage to John H. Caruso (died 1986) in 1968 and moved to Rocky Hill, Connecticut where she raised not only her two youngest children but became step-mother to Judy, Johnny and Joseph Caruso. Johnny has continued to hold a special place in her heart with his motorcycle visits to Vermont. She and John eventually divorced and Bea worked for Drs. Mancol, Truex and Monticello before moving onto American Mutual Insurance Company and retiring in 1989.
She loved her grandchildren Yvonne Griswold (died 1996), Casey and Eric McMorrow deeply and spent many a happy hour with them as they grew into fine young women and men. As she began to age, her concern was her long term health and so she moved to West Enosburgh, Vermont in 2008 to live with her daughter Lynn McMorrow and her husband Tom Martin. Sadly she was no longer able to easily visit her old friends in Connecticut: Betty Thurber, Thomas and Doris Schreier and Ruby Bennett. She also would miss singing and quilting with the ladies of Rocky Hill Congregational Church. This was the same year David McMorrow married Laurie Grunske and Barbara welcomed another wonderful woman into the family. As Barbara welcomed Laurie into the family, she lost her sister Hope VanStone to lung cancer the following year in 2009.
Barbara\u0027s general health remained good and she sewed with Shirley Jewett\u0027s group in Richford, Vermont. They quilted, sewed, laughed and made the local papers for the large and lovely painted barn quilt squares. She was delighted when we hung hers on our new garage. She attended the Richford quilt show to prevent sticky hands, small and large, from marring the amazing creations.
She was friends with Elisabeth Rawlinson and enjoyed visits, tea, cats and dogs with her. She was also friends with Nancy Murphie who sewed, swam, traveled and laughed with Barbara. They spent some wonderful hours at Shirley\u0027s. Bea was gracious and funny with all she met. People she knew well and even people she did not know well recognized by her humming. Steve Comeau recognized Barb in the St. Albans Hannafords by her humming from two aisles over as did Susan Atherton.
Barbara enjoyed every adventure she could find. One of her favorites was with Gary Fiske of the Vermont Antique Automobile Society in Gary\u0027s Model A Ford Coupe as they drove though Franklin County. She loved adventures with Sharon Fiske as well. One never knew what they would do together. Regardless, she always came home safe.
Barbara\u0027s health challenges continued with a resurgence of her lung cancer last November, radiation and her final days at Franklin County Rehabilitation. We cannot thank the wonderful staff at FCR enough for their caring and dedication to making lives at the short end as comfortable as they can.
Barbara was predeceased by both husbands, her granddaughter Yvonne Noel Griswold and her second son Thomas Earle McMorrow. She leaves her daughter Lynn Bennett McMorrow and her husband Thomas Martin; her son David Ross McMorrow and his wife Laurie; grandchildren Casey McMorrow and Eric McMorrow; nephew Warren Bennett Godkin and his wife Joann and their children Travis, wife Kaitlyn, nephew Tyler and his partner Savanah; Nephews Bruce and Ken Godkin; niece Susan Blume, her husband John and children Mckenzie and Christopher. She also leaves many friends too numerous to mention here.
\tA time of visitation will be held Saturday, June 21, 2014 from 2-4 PM at the Spears Funeral Home, 96 Dickinson Ave., Enosburg Falls. There will be no formal funeral service.
\tIn lieu of flowers, Barbaras family asks that you consider a donation in Barbaras memory to the Franklin County Rehab Facility - Resident Activity Fund, 110 Fairfax Road, St. Albans, VT 05478.