Donald Walter Bennett

Donald Walter Bennett died peacefully on Sunday, November 4, 2018 at the age of ninety. He is survived by his beloved wife of 69 years, Esther; his sister, Mary Brown; his brother, Charles (Bonnie) Bennett; his children, Daniel Bennett, Susan (Michael) Smelker, Elizabeth (David) Goodine, Charles Bennett, Kitty (Bill) Dowding, and Mary (Noah) Isaac; as well as 10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Don was a long time Lutheran who loved his Lord and sought to serve him in every aspect of his life.

At the age of 17, he joined the United States Navy and when the war ended he returned home to Toledo to attend university and to work as an orderly at Toledo Hospital where he met Esther, the love of his life.

The two married and later, with two children in tow, they set out for Michigan where Don joined the Michigan State Police. In his years with the MSP, he worked as a trooper, as well as a detective and crime scene investigator. He earned a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice at Michigan State University and eventually rose to the position of director of the crime laboratory; and then to Captain. Following his retirement from the State Police, Don became Vice President of Corporate Security for Michigan National Bank.

Still, after retirement from the bank, Don could not stop working and decided to direct his energies more fully toward his Church which he served at the local, the national and the international level. He was deeply involved in Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM), serving in a number of capacities including President of the International Lutheran Layman’s League and then Interim Executive Director of LHM. Don had a great love for travel and along with his soulmate, Esther, found immense joy in the people of God whom he met all over the world. There was a special place in his heart for the church at Okumenyi, Nigeria, where he visited two separate times and with whom he continued to correspond until the time of his death. He also found tremendous joy in the deep and abiding friendships he found closer to home. He was an active member for many years at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansing where he held positions as elder, Sunday School Superintendent and Church President. In his later years, he continued his volunteer service as a member of St Luke Lutheran Church in Haslett; and also served on the Board of Regents of Concordia University - Ann Arbor, kept up with MSP matters, and volunteered at Sparrow Hospital.

One dear friend of Don’s described him as “a tireless worker for the kingdom; a man whose life was well lived.” He will be remembered for all of these things but mostly, and especially, as a devoted and loving husband, brother, father, grandfather and friend - and for his sense of humor, which he kept sharp until the end and which managed to put a smile even on faces otherwise filled with sadness.

He was preceded in death by his father, Walter Bennett; his mother, Yanula Swogger; and his much loved aunt and uncle, Grace and Harold Nicholson.

Visitation will take place on Wednesday, Nov 7 from 6-8 PM at Gorsline-Runciman East Lansing.

Services will be held at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 5589 Van Atta Rd, Haslett, MI, 48840 on Thursday, November 8 at 10:00 AM, with visitation one hour prior to the service.

Interment will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Lutheran Hour Ministries, 660 Mason Ridge Center, St. Louis, MO 63141, lhm.org; St Luke Lutheran Church, 5589 Van Atta Rd, Haslett, MI 48840, knowingjesus.org; or to the Lutheran Church at Okumenyi, Nigeria, c/o Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 9301 Chef Menteur Hwy, New Orleans, LA 70127.

Memories and condolences may be shared at www.greastlansing.com