Obituary: Al Bennett, 64, Free Soil.

Al Bennett

Alfred Varney Bennett, 64 of Free Soil passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital following a brief illness.  Al was born on July 2, 1951 in Lansing, the only child of Varney Alfred and Mary (Gancarz) Bennett.  On October 25, 1975 he married Janet Roesler in Manistee, and she preceded him in death on November 4, 2007.

Alfred worked in environmental services as an insulator servicing manufacturers throughout the area, including PCA and Dow Chemical.  He was a simple, matter-of-fact man, always loyal to his friends and family.  He, Dave Morley and their gang of friends would meet every Friday night for fish suppers and Sunday mornings for breakfast, solving the world problems and brightening somebody’s day.  Al enjoyed coin collecting, and had a nice collection of guns and knives accumulated over a lifetime.  In his younger days, he liked to hunt and fish, and played bass guitar in a local band, which is how he met Janet.

Al will be greatly missed by his daughters Kim (John) Suttorp of Whitehall, and Trina (Chris) Jozwiak of Allendale, his grandchildren John and Ginna Suttorp, Matthew and Avery Jozwiak, his sisters-in-law Wendy Crow of Caledonia, Rosanne (Dave) Luhmann of Alanson, Donna Ross of Roscommon, and Rickey (Dave) Babcock of Seymour, Tennessee, his brother-in-law Richard Roesler of Greenville, and his good friends Dave Morley and the gang.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Alfred at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 16 at St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Free Soil with Rev. Dennis O’Donnell as celebrant.  Burial will take place next to Janet at Maple Grove Cemetery in the spring.  Friends may meet with his family for a time of visitation on Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Stephens Funeral Home in Scottville, and Saturday morning from 10 a.m. until time of Mass at the church.  A Prayer Service will be held for Al on Friday evening at 8:30 pm at the funeral home.  Those who wish to remember Al with a memorial contribution may make it to a charity of their choice.

Please visit Al’s personal memory page at www.wymanfuneralservice.com to leave a tribute.