Dolores Bennett
Join us in celebrating Dolores—please share your stories and photos, and help spread the word about this page!
On Monday, March 15, 2021, Dolores "Dusty" Bennett passed away at the age of 89. She was the loving, dedicated wife of Milton W. Bennett for 61 years, mother to five children, seven grandchildren, two great grandchildren and matriarch to her extended family across three continents.
Born on September 5, 1931 in Akron, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Nellie Lou Smithson and the late Arthur Donald Smithson. Dusty was passionate about her family, her home in Smyrna, vacationing at the beach, and the Global Samaritans Children's Home in Zambia.
She was widely known and well regarded for teaching swimming and water safety to children and young adults. Her love of aquatics first began as a lifeguard at Vogel State Park while a student at Young Harris College and extended for over fifty-five consecutive summers teaching in excess of 5,000 students at Lake Laurel Club in Smyrna. In addition to raising five children, she taught physical education at Fitzhugh Lee School in Smyrna and was active in the League of Women Voters and helped to run federal, state, and municipal elections in Smyrna and Cobb County.
Survivors in her immediate family include her sons, Michael, Martin "Rusty" (Irene), and Matthew Bennett, her daughter Tara Luttrell (Bobby), her grandchildren, Erin (Stanton) Porter, Alicia, & Alexandra Ruark, Caitlyn and Claire Bennett, Wesley Luttrell, and Warren Bennett. Tragically, her daughter Tassie passed away with her, but she is survived by her husband Charles "Tommy" Ruark.
A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday April 17th at Carmichael Funeral Home in Smyrna with visitation beginning at 12:00 and the service following at 1:00.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Global Samaritans at
www.globalsamaritans.org
or mailed to:
Global Samaritans
6561 Union Point Highway
Union Point, GA 30669