Linda Louise Bennett

Linda Louise Bennett (Cantin) was born on November 6, 1949, and passed away on October 15, 2020, at the age of 70. She was born to Willard and Lucille Cantin in Yuma, Colorado. She attended elementary school in Kansas City, Missouri, and graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School in 1967. She attended college briefly at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. During young adulthood Linda was a legal secretary at a Lincoln law firm. As an adult she resumed her college education and at the age of 46 proudly received her bachelor’s degree from UNL.

On May 13, 1978, Linda was united in marriage to her best friend, Stanley C. Bennett and moved to Milford, Nebraska. Together they raised two daughters, Kari and Jami. She became a stay at home mom while simultaneously helping Stan build their aerial spray business, Bennett Ag Services, from 1980 until their retirement in 2012. Throughout their retirement they spent several winters in St. Augustine, Florida, which was Linda's favorite place in the world.

In her younger days, Linda loved waterskiing, dancing with Stan, bowling on a league, and pitching on her fast-pitch softball team. In her midlife years, she enjoyed spending time with the neighbor ladies in competitive Nerts matches, as well as Friday night pitch games with Stan and good friends. Linda volunteered countless hours to church, assembling the bulletins every week and making banners. She treasured learning from God’s word through the various Bible studies she attended. In Linda’s later years, she valued the thousands of hours she spent doing puzzles with her own mom and helping her during her last several years of life with whatever she could. She then continued the puzzling and caretaking with her beloved former mother-in-law, and eventually loved to “puzzle” on her own on her iPad.

Linda will be remembered by all who knew her as the sweetest, kindest, most accepting, loving, and generous lady. Her sweet, warm soul drew people to her and she made friends everywhere she went. She tirelessly devoted herself to the people she cared about, young and old. Linda truly loved people and made them feel special just by being with her. She was always ready to lend an ear to anyone who needed it. She treated her daughters’ and grandchildren’s friends like they were her own and so many thought of her as their second mom or extra grandma.

Her greatest joy, though, was spending time with her family, Stan, Kari, Jami and OJ, as well as her extended family whenever possible, and for Linda, nothing was better than being Nana to her grandchildren Brittni (darlin’), Brady (punkin’), Grant (lovebug), Krissi (honeybee), Caleb (cricket), Noah (grasshopper), Ascha (ladybug), and Elijah (caterpillar) and her great-grandchildren, Day and Remi. Her grandchildren were her world and she was always more than willing to do whatever they wanted. She would play hide and seek, chase, board games, or dress up, go shopping, host dance parties and homemade plays, and stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking and laughing. She looked forward to attending all of their activities including football, volleyball, cross country, basketball, track and field, softball, and baseball; as well as concerts, dance recitals, music competitions, field trips, school plays, musicals, and graduations; even traveling cross-country to attend a military graduation. She also loved taking the entire family on fabulous vacations, especially making memories in Florida.

Preceding her to heaven are Linda’s dad and mom, Willard and Lucille Cantin, her sister Beverly Wallace, and her brother Bill Cantin. Missing her on this side of heaven are her husband Stanley Bennett, her daughters Kari Guthrie and Jami (OJ) Utter, her grandchildren Brittni (Oye) Akinrefon, Brady Shaw, Grant Shaw, Krissi Guthrie, Caleb Utter, Noah Utter, Ascha Utter, and Elijah Utter, her great-grandchildren Day Akinrefon and Remi Akinrefon, her sister Ginger (Doug) Johnson, her brother Bob (Robyn) Cantin, her brother Casey (Janet) Cantin, her mother-in-law, Leora Bennett, her first husband, Roger Nelsen, and a host of beloved brothers and sisters in law, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home, 6800 South 14th Street in Lincoln. Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 11:00 am at Christ Lincoln, 4325 Sumner Street in Lincoln. Memorial gifts in honor of Linda will be given to The Friendship Home of Lincoln.