01 / His story
An ordinary life.
An extraordinary love.
Remembered by his wife, Margaret,
and the Bennett family.
1951 — 2025
74 years of making a difference.
Tom had a way of making you feel that there was nowhere else he would rather be than right there with you.
Born and raised among the hills of Missouri, he built a life around the things he loved most: his family, the outdoors, and the quiet satisfaction of making something with his hands. His workshop door was always open, and there was always room for one more chair at the table.
He met Margaret at a community picnic in the summer of 1973. They married the following spring and spent the next five decades turning a house into a home, raising two children, and finding joy in Sunday suppers and unhurried drives with no particular destination.
To his grandchildren, he was the keeper of the best stories, the fixer of broken toys, and the man who somehow always had a peppermint in his pocket. To the rest of us, he was a reminder that kindness is something you practice, every day.
His hands made beautiful things.
His heart made a beautiful life.