Obituary of Jean R. Bennett

Arla Jean Rottman (known all her life as Jean) was born the only child to William Glenn Rottman and Arla Birch on March 24^th, 1939 in Salt Lake City, Utah. A precocious child, she had many hobbies and loved traveling and camping with her family. She collected coins, stamps and rocks, hunting for specimens in the wilds of Utah with her father. She took piano lessons and played through her whole life.

Jean had a fierce intellect. She completed all her high school course-work and would have graduated a year early, but for an obstinate principal who prevented her. She still left high school a year early and went on to complete a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah with honors in two and a half years, while working to support herself. She later earned a master’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles in one year while caring for two very young children. She once said would have liked to have been a physicist, but at the time she felt that being a wife and mother would be more compatible with being a teacher.

She married R. Keith Bennett on December 20^th 1957 in the LDS Salt Lake temple. She had met him prior to his leaving on his mission and faithfully wrote to him during his two years serving in Canada. In 1960, they welcomed their firstborn, Lynda Jean (Cramer) into their family. Looking for better prospects working as school teachers the family moved to southern California where in 1963 their only son, David Keith was born. In 1975, they welcomed their last daughter Carolyn Kay (Bauduin) into their family.

In 1969, looking to move out of the LA smog and into a better school district, they moved to Simi Valley, CA, where they lived 50 years until Jean’s passing.

As a teacher, Jean taught at all levels from Pre-K through high school. She spent over half her career teaching deaf and hard of hearing students in virtually every subject, including driver’s education. In Simi, she taught at five different campuses, but spent more time teaching in the elementary grades.

Jean spent her life in service to others. In church she taught classes in Primary, Sunday School, and Relief Society. She spent years as a Girl’s camp leader, and also served as Relief Society President.

In 1994-1995 she and Keith served a church mission to the Florida Orlando mission.

After teaching for 35 years, Jean retired and became even busier than she’d been while employed. She served with Keith as ordinance workers in the LDS Los Angeles temple, while she also was highly involved volunteering for the AAUW (American Association of University Women), the Simi Valley Library, the City of Simi Valley, The Retired Teachers’ association, AARP, Meals on Wheels, Strathearn Historical Park, The Ronald Reagan Library, 55-Alive Senior Driver classes, and ran and recruited people to man polling places for years.

For years Jean was very physically active. She loved to hike, jog, and take all sorts of fitness classes. As school teachers, Jean and her family went on numerous trips across the country visiting more than forty states including Alaska and Hawaii. After retirement, Keith and Jean took advantage of the opportunity to travel and went on trips to New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, England, and the Panama Canal.

Jean was a wonderful, caring, serving, person who lived her life teaching and serving others. She did all she could to serve until disease made it impossible. She has touched the lives of many and will continue to do so, though she physically left this world.

She is survived by her husband, R. Keith Bennett, daughters Lynda Jean and Clint Cramer, Carolyn Kay and Val Bauduin, and son David Keith and Evelynn (Meyers) Bennett.

Grandchildren:

Katie, Elly, Steven, Robyn, Peter, Eric, Sam, Luke, Brady, Joshua, and Jackson

Great Grandchildren

Tacy, Nate, Kayleigh, Logan, Evan