Elsie Elaine Bennett

Elsie Elaine “Peck” Bennett was born on February 28,1931 as the third child born to Egbert L. Price and Florence L. Jackson-Price in La Ceiba, Honduras. The family moved to the island of Roatan, Honduras where Elaine excelled in school from her youth. In high school Elaine won a coveted scholarship to attend college in Tegucigalpa, Honduras as she sought to fulfill her lifelong ambition to become a teacher.

After graduation, Elaine taught school on the island for a brief time before leaving to come to live in the United States in 1957 with her Aunt Lucille Williams (a family trend she continued as she housed several more family members who subsequently legally immigrated to the United States). Shortly upon her arrival to Los Angeles she met a young man from Oklahoma and on December 27th,1958 she married Vernon Reevis Bennett, a union which produced two children, Lucinda Marie in1960 and Vernon Jr. in 1962.

Elaine continued her education in the United States and attended junior college and earned her BA in education from San Diego State University and subsequently earned her Master’s in Education from United States International University. She completed the coursework from USIU for her Doctorate in Education but stopped short of completing her dissertation. Even after retirement Elaine kept her mind active by participating with an African American Women’s book club and was an avid crossword puzzle solver.

Elaine joined the San Diego Unified school District where she taught Spanish for more than 30 years. Through her tenure as a teacher, she volunteered as an American Field Service advisor for foreign students, sponsored student immersion trips to Mexico, and taught English to English as a Second language students. She proved to be an educational innovator for using cooking as a tool to teach her students Spanish and videotaping her students for them to hear their pronunciation. Her efforts to educate garnered her the award, California Foreign Language teacher of the year in 1988, which included a month-long trip to Madrid, Spain.

Elaine’s interests did not stop with school as she was determined that her children would experience many childhood pursuits she did not have. She enrolled them in tap dancing, Cub Scouts, baseball, softball, swimming, Jack and Jill, and theater but then also volunteered for every event her children were involved in. She was den mother, little league mom, dance chaperone, and Guild President for theater.

In addition to all of her other accomplishments, Elaine was active in various churches- first at St Paul United Methodist, then Skyline Wesleyan, and finally her home church Hope United Methodist church. She taught vacation bible school, collected and donated clothes, collaborated with Women helping Women, was a part of a senior group named God’s Groupies, made care packages for the needy in Utah in connection with the Mormon church, made chili dinners for college scholarships and created pillowcase dresses for Haitian refugees.

On Monday, May 1, 2023, Elaine went home to be with her heavenly father, joining her parents, husband, Vernon R. Bennett, Sr. and her oldest sister Evelyn Price. She leaves behind her middle sister Esmeralda Price-Woods, three brother-in laws: Wilbert Bennett (Ola), Maurice Bennett (Pierette) and Julius Bennett (Yvonne), two children: Lucinda Williams, Vernon R. Bennett, Jr. (Regina) three grandchildren: Michelle Bennett-Norris, Imani Bennett and Jeremiah Bennett, one great-grandchild: Zaire Hill, numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, family members and a host of church members, friends and associates who will miss her but know that they will see her again in heaven.

A viewing will be held for Elsie on Friday, May 19, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Hope United Methodist Church, 16550 Bernardo Heights Pkwy, San Diego, CA 92128. The funeral service will follow directly after at the church.

A graveside service will occur Monday, May 22, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Cypress View Mausoleum, 3953 Imperial Ave, at S 40th St, San Diego, CA 92113.