Gordon Daniel Bennett

Gordon Bennett, middle son of William and Mary Bennett, was born in Elmira, NY, in 1931. A Korean War veteran, Gordon graduated from Notre Dame in 1956 with a degree in geology. He then joined the U.S. Geological Survey, while also attending Pennsylvania State University, where he received a masters degree in geophysics in 1961. 

His thirty year career with the USGS included work in Pennsylvania, New York, Puerto Rico, and finally at headquarters in Reston Virginia, where he served, among other things, as Chief of the Groundwater Division and Assistant Chief of the Water Resources Division. But looking back in later years, the part of his career that gave him the most satisfaction was the time he spent working for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Lahore, Pakistan. From 1962-1966, he advised the Water and Power Development Authority on the development of groundwater resources in West Pakistan. He also taught hydrology to local engineers and university students, and his teaching notes were the basis for his first book, Introduction to Ground Water Hydraulics: A Programmed Text for Self Instruction. His work on this project was a small part of a much larger effort which transformed Pakistani agriculture, such that instead of being a country always on the brink of famine, Pakistan became a global exporter of food. 

After retiring from the USGS in 1986, he went to work for S.S.Papadopulos and Associates, doing environmental remediation until his second retirement in 2000. During this time he co-authored a second book, Applied Contaminant Transport Modeling, with his colleague, Chunmiao Zheng. 

Gordon married Patricia Collins, of Jersey City, NJ in October of 1958. Their daughters, Alice and Margaret, were born in Pennsylvania. Their son Christopher was born in Puerto Rico. 
Gordon was a devoted husband and father. Because Pat was an anxious driver, Gordon did all the driving of kids to school, summer programs, band rehearsals and sporting events. He was also always available for math homework help, but his children had to weigh the benefits of a lucid explanation against the time it would take for him to elaborate the answer. (“Do I have an hour and a half to spend on this problem??”) 

Aside from being the most enthusiastic members of the Chris Bennett Soccer/Football/Basketball/Rugby Fan Club, Gordon and Pat travelled extensively, and enjoyed visiting their ever growing population of grandchildren. 

Gordon always put Pat first, which was never more evident than after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2000, he resigned from his work to care for her full time. In 2005, when he could no longer leave her alone, even for short intervals, he moved with her to Texas, where their granddaughter Ellen Flannery lived with them to help with her care. Pat died at home in 2007.

 After her death, Gordon began volunteering with Mother and Unborn Baby Care, often spending 4 mornings per week praying in front of now-defunct abortion clinics. He attended lectures at The College of St. Thomas More in Fort Worth and later became a founding member of the Lewis Tolkien Society. For a while he worked with the Fransiscan Friars of the Renewal, visiting with homeless people on the streets of Fort Worth (where he said he was sometimes mistaken for a homeless person himself by solicitous church ladies). He spent Friday afternoons at adoration at St. Mary the Virgin. During his entire life, the question he asked himself was “How can I be of service?” And whatever the answer was at the time, he would throw himself into that activity. 

Gordon is survived by his brother John Bennett and sister-in-law Joanne Bennett; his children Alice Flannery, Margaret Jones, and Christopher Bennett; their spouses Timothy Flannery, Lonnie Jones and Julie Bennett; 23 grandchildren and their 12 spouses, 50 great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. 

A visitation will be held 6:00-8:00pm Thursday, December 19, 2024, at Saint Mary the Virgin Catholic Church in Arlington, Texas. A funeral mass will be held at 9:30am on Friday, December 20, 2024, at Saint Mary the Virgin Catholic Church, Arlington, Texas. Burial will follow Friday, December 20, 2024, at 2:30pm at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Texas. 

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Mother and Unborn Baby Care http://Unbornbabycare.org  or The Lewis Tolkien Society https://www.lewistolkiensociety.org/