Kenneth Lamar Bennight Jr.

Kenneth Lamar Bennight, Jr., Marine Corps officer, lawyer, writer, and sixth generation Texan passed away May 29, 2023, at the age of 75. He was born in Austin, Texas, and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he was active in Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. After graduating from W.B. Ray High School, he received his undergraduate and law degrees with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, and was stationed at Quantico, Virginia, and Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Southern California.

Kenneth began his law career with the United States Justice Department. Later, he moved to San Antonio to join Martin & Drought, P.C. His varied career included practicing law as a sole practitioner, working as a Certified Mediator, teaching paralegal courses at San Antonio College, working for the State of Texas General Land Office in Austin, and most recently as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of San Antonio.

Over the years, Kenneth was active in several local organizations, including the Sertoma Club, Alamo Aquarium Society, Alamo City Rivermen, San Antonio Tea Party, and most recently the San Antonio Writers’ Guild. He served in leadership positions for several of these organizations. He enjoyed going to the theatre, and volunteered as an usher at the San Pedro Playhouse. He was also a member of St. Andrew’s Church and School, the State Bar of Texas, and the San Antonio Bar Association, of which he was named a Life Fellow in the year 2000.

Kenneth enjoyed listening to Blues and Jazz music, keeping tropical fish, scuba diving, canoeing, kayaking, reading, playing bridge, smoking cigars, and spending time in the country. Since his retirement, Kenneth turned his hand to writing. He published Texas Law of Streets and Alleys: A Handbook in 2014. He wrote a series of books featuring “hard-boiled detective” Nacho Perez, numerous short stories, and was included in multiple editions of the Corpus Christi Writers Anthology. His greatest joy was spending time with his grandson, with whom he participated in many Cub Scout activities in recent years.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Mildred Bennight. He is survived by his wife, Susan; his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Christopher Reed of Katy; his daughter Laura Bennight of San Antonio; and one grandchild. He is also survived by his brother Craig Bennight and wife Johanna of Plano, sister Karen Wallace and husband Joe of Magnolia, and several nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held July 8, 2023 at 1pm, followed by a memorial service at 2pm. The visitation and memorial service will be held at Sunset Memorial Park, located at 1701 Austin Hwy., San Antonio, Texas 78218. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Texas Rivers Protection Association (https://txrivers.org/get-involved/donate-to-protect-texas-rivers/), or a charity of your choice, are appreciated.