Obituary for Lorraine Meyers Bennett
LORRAINE (MEYERS) BENNETT
January 13, 1924 – July 13, 2020
Bedford MA formerly of Cornwall, NY
Lorraine (Meyers) Bennett, long-time resident of Cornwall, died on July 13, 2020 in Bedford, Massachusetts, where she had moved in 2014 to be close to her daughter Susan. She was 96.
She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on January 13, 1924, the daughter of Albert and Anna Mae (Rouff) Meyers and moved to Cornwall as a young child. Mrs. Bennett attended the Cornwall public schools and graduated from the Jersey City Medical Center School of Nursing with an R.N. degree, where she was a member of the Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II. She continued her education as an adult, earning her BA degree from the Empire State College and then taking graduate courses at Russell Sage College. She pursued a career first as a school nurse and then as an English teacher at the James O’Neill High School in Highland Falls, retiring in 1990 after 32 years of service. Mrs. Bennett was a strong teachers’ union advocate and served on negotiating committees to improve compensation and benefits for her profession.
Long active in Republican politics, she served for many years as the Chairwoman of the Cornwall Republican Committee. She was the first woman member of the Cornwall Town Board and chaired the Cornwall Planning Board for a number of years. One of the highlights of her time in politics was her selection as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1976, where her colorful hat attracted media attention.
Mrs. Bennett had many other interests. She was a long- time docent at the Storm King Art Center and a volunteer for the Cornwall Hospital Auxiliary. She assembled a wonderful collection of 19th and 20th century dolls and was a member of the Hudson Valley Doll Club. An accomplished quilter, she belonged to the Quilters of the Hudson Highlands. She was an avid reader and her residences were always overflowing with books. Mrs. Bennett loved spending time on Cape Cod where she maintained a second home. She was an accomplished writer and was a columnist for the Cornwall Local. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Her survivors include three daughters Kathy, Susan (John Rosenberg) and Jamie (John Fitch); five grandchildren, Alyssa, Eva, and Mark Rosenberg, Daniel Barrie, and Anne Fitch, and three great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, her devoted husband, James Harold Bennett in 1997, by sisters Marion Barley and Dorothy Gorton, and by her beloved brother Arthur James (Mickey) Meyers.
Interment was private at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Cornwall.
Arrangements are entrusted to Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc.; to send condolences please go to www.Quigleybros.com
January 13, 1924 – July 13, 2020
Bedford MA formerly of Cornwall, NY
Lorraine (Meyers) Bennett, long-time resident of Cornwall, died on July 13, 2020 in Bedford, Massachusetts, where she had moved in 2014 to be close to her daughter Susan. She was 96.
She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on January 13, 1924, the daughter of Albert and Anna Mae (Rouff) Meyers and moved to Cornwall as a young child. Mrs. Bennett attended the Cornwall public schools and graduated from the Jersey City Medical Center School of Nursing with an R.N. degree, where she was a member of the Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II. She continued her education as an adult, earning her BA degree from the Empire State College and then taking graduate courses at Russell Sage College. She pursued a career first as a school nurse and then as an English teacher at the James O’Neill High School in Highland Falls, retiring in 1990 after 32 years of service. Mrs. Bennett was a strong teachers’ union advocate and served on negotiating committees to improve compensation and benefits for her profession.
Long active in Republican politics, she served for many years as the Chairwoman of the Cornwall Republican Committee. She was the first woman member of the Cornwall Town Board and chaired the Cornwall Planning Board for a number of years. One of the highlights of her time in politics was her selection as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1976, where her colorful hat attracted media attention.
Mrs. Bennett had many other interests. She was a long- time docent at the Storm King Art Center and a volunteer for the Cornwall Hospital Auxiliary. She assembled a wonderful collection of 19th and 20th century dolls and was a member of the Hudson Valley Doll Club. An accomplished quilter, she belonged to the Quilters of the Hudson Highlands. She was an avid reader and her residences were always overflowing with books. Mrs. Bennett loved spending time on Cape Cod where she maintained a second home. She was an accomplished writer and was a columnist for the Cornwall Local. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Her survivors include three daughters Kathy, Susan (John Rosenberg) and Jamie (John Fitch); five grandchildren, Alyssa, Eva, and Mark Rosenberg, Daniel Barrie, and Anne Fitch, and three great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, her devoted husband, James Harold Bennett in 1997, by sisters Marion Barley and Dorothy Gorton, and by her beloved brother Arthur James (Mickey) Meyers.
Interment was private at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Cornwall.
Arrangements are entrusted to Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc.; to send condolences please go to www.Quigleybros.com