Nancy Bennett

Nancy was born on May 14, 1944 in Rochester, New York, the daughter of the late Roberta Evans and Frank C. Bennett, Jr. She went on to live a life of adventure, moving nineteen times with her first husband George Cadwallader over 24 years and calling Italy, England, Belgium, and Calgary, Alberta home along the way. After their travels she settled in East Hanover and Morristown, New Jersey, where she put down roots for many years. In 2020, she made one final move to Falmouth, Maine.

Nancy taught middle school science for 40 years. She had a gift for making learning joyful, and her love of science followed her everywhere, often into her kitchen, where she conducted experiments with her children, grandchildren and extended family. Nancy bore an uncanny resemblance to Ms. Frizzle, a comparison she embraced wholeheartedly. Over the years she appeared at events dressed in bug and solar system outfits, utterly delighted to play the part. Science was not just her profession. It was her “sense of wonder” made visible.

Nancy’s sense of wonder was cultivated every summer on Dogfish Head in Southport, Maine. The natural world shaped her, and she made it her life's work to pass that reverence on to anyone lucky enough to spend time with her.

Nancy grew up loving Winnie the Pooh, not just the stories, but what they stood for. The sweetness of simple things. Loyalty. The courage it takes to show up for the people you love. She passed this love on to her daughters and her granddaughters, through bedtime books, a home filled with Pooh's gentle world, a spirit of imagination and wonder she carried with her always.

Nancy will be most remembered for her silly, warm, constant love. She was the best listener, the loudest encourager, and the kind of person who made everyone feel genuinely seen and accepted for exactly who they are. She loved her family fiercely and without condition.

Nancy is survived by her husband James Messersmith; her siblings Doug Bennett (Ellen) and Kate Bennett (Wayne Hermanson); her children Karen Wilkens (Stephen) and Lindsay Cadwallader (Jeremy Stein); her three granddaughters Lydia, Eliza, and Emily; and her niece Julia Spero (Max) and nephews Thomas Bennett (Randall Johnston) and Robert.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Davis & Elkins College and the P.E.O. International Program for Continuing Education.

A memorial service will be held in the Hilltop Community Room on July 11 at 2 pm at Oceanview in Falmouth, Maine.

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." — Winnie the Pooh