Robert Curtis Bennett Sr.

This wonderful man was born October 12 ,1934 in Independence, Louisiana to William E. Bennett and Thelma Bennett. Bob to his friends and Curtis to his wife and family had one sibling, Gurney Bennett. He met Shirley Ann Bordelon while on a double-blind date. Shirley started out as the date of his cousin. Once they met, they decided to switch dates. Curtis married the love of his life on Halloween night, October 31st, 1953. They went on to have three children: Robert Curtis Bennett Jr. Dawn Marie Bennett (Faust) and Randall Blane Bennett. They had a long and beautiful life together and loved to travel. He spent much of his life vacationing in the Great Smoky Mountains. Eventually he began working as a Seasonal Park Ranger in the Smoky Mountain National Park, most often in Cades Cove. He also spent time in Yellowstone, Virginia Beach, and Ashville North Carolina. Robert (Bob) also had a passion for films, especially during that last ten years of his life. Not only was he featured in over 150 films, he co-owned the production company “Fence Post Productions” which produced five films. His industry awards included: Hollywood South Background Actors Guild “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2015 and the 48HFP “Best Featured Actor Award” in 2019. He was elected to serve in the SAG-AFTRA LOCAL BOARD from 2015-2019 and volunteered for numerous film organizations where he made many great friends and will be sorely missed in the film industry. Robert was preceded in death by his parents William and Thelma Bennett, his brother Gurney Bennett, his loving wife Shirley Bennett, and his grandson Bradley Robert Bennett. He is survived by his children Robert Jr. (Karla), Dawn Faust (Fritz) and Randy (Vicki), along with his grandchildren Josh, David, Ashley, Matthew, Justin, and his great-grandson Jakob. He will be loved and forever missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The memorial will be held at Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, 4747 Veterans Memorial Blvd., in Metairie, LA on Saturday January 8th, 2022. Family visitation will be 3pm-4pm. Public visitation from 4pm-6pm followed by a service at 6pm.