Carolyn Bennett

Carolyn Gove Bennett, 85, of Evansville, Indiana, died Friday, January 24, 2020. Carolyn was born February 16, 1934 in Worcester, Massachusetts to A. Wallace and Mary (Peabody) Gove and grew up in the nearby town of Holden. She graduated as valedictorian from Holden High School, class of 1952. Carolyn went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in physics from Bates College in Lewiston , Maine. In the summer of 1954, while working at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, she met the love of her life, Paul Bennett. They married and moved to central Pennsylvania. After starting a family, she returned to school, entering the then new field of computer science at Penn State University. Carolyn very much enjoyed her first computing job, supporting researchers from around the world at the Agricultural Data Processing Lab at Penn State University. Later, after the family had moved to Evansville, Indiana, she applied her skills in the financial sector at the Old National Bank and American General Finance. Carolyn was a computer programmer and systems analyst – a career spanning over four decades. Church life was important for her, both at St. John’s UCC in Boalsburg, Pa. and Bethlehem UCC in Indiana. She truly believed in helping others. At the end of the Vietnam War, she opened her home to Vietnamese refugees, giving them a sound start to their new life in the US. After hurricane Katrina, she went with a crew to Louisiana to build new houses for those that had lost everything. Carolyn volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for neglected or abused children, an AARP Tax Aide, and at the United Caring Shelter. Carolyn served as president of the Evansville Audubon Society and was instrumental in establishing the Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area in Warwick County, Indiana. Carolyn was a voracious reader and enjoyed birding together with her husband. Mrs. Bennett is survived by her children: Cynthia (Ralf Kaestner) Bennett of Alzey, Germany, David Bennett of Columbia, Maryland and Steven (Carol Wierzbicki) Bennett of Brooklyn, NY; granddaughter, Clara Bennett of Brooklyn, NY and her brother, Walter Gove of Boulder, UT. Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Paul Edmond Bennett and her aforementioned parents. In keeping with Carolyn’s wishes, cremation services have been entrusted to Muir Brothers Funeral Home, Lapeer. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 15, 2020, at Alexander East Chapel, 2115 Lincoln Ave, Evansville, IN 47714, with visitation from 12:00 p.m. until service time. Memorial contributions may be made to the Natural Resources Defense Council nrdc.org. Condolences may be offered at www.AlexanderEastChapel.com.