Obituary of William Bailey Bennett, Sr.

William Bailey Bennett, Sr., 82, died at his home in Forest on Saturday, February 6, 2016. Mr. Bennett was born in Anderson, SC a son of the late Arthur H. Bennett and Katie Deanhardt Bennett. He was also preceded in death by two brothers and one sister. Mr. Bennett was a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in Textile Chemistry. He was also a member of the ROTC program and after graduation he served with distinction in the U.S. Army and the Virginia National Guard as a First Lieutenant. He worked in the textile industry in Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina for thirty-one years. Upon retirement, Mr. Bennett and his wife were recruited by the International Executive Service Corps, an organization similar to the Peace Corps. This volunteer work took them to projects in El Salvador, Egypt, Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Turkey and Mexico, plus environmental work for USAID in Egypt, Ecuador, and India. Mr. Bennett was a member of Heritage United Methodist Church in Lynchburg, VA. He is survived by his wife, Phillis Fizer Bennett, three children and one grandchild: a daughter, Elizabeth Bennett Bauer and husband, Craig Bauer of Alexandria, VA, a son, William Bailey Bennett, Jr. and wife, Sandi Bennett of Braselton, GA, a son, Jonathan Andrew Bennett of Forest, VA, and a grandson, William Bailey Bennett, III of Braselton, GA. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to: Heritage United Methodist Church, Project Heritage of Hope, 582 Leesville Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502 or Centra Hospice, 3300 Rivermont Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24502 A funeral service will be conducted on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 11:30 AM at Updike Funeral Chapel, Bedford with Rev. Will Montgomery officiating. Interment, with military honors by the U. S. Army National Guard Honor Guard, will follow in Greenwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends beginning at 10:30 AM on Wednesday and until the time of the service at Updike Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Bedford.