Eileen Ann Bennett

EILEEN ANN BENNETT MUSCATINE, Iowa - Eileen Bennett, 92, of Muscatine, passed peacefully on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, with her family at her home. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at the Ss. Mary Mathias Catholic Church. The Reverend Chris Weber will officiate. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the perpetual care of St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.wittichfuneralhome.com. Eileen was born on October 7, 1929, in Muscatine, the daughter of James and Bernice Ray Duggan. She grew up very close to her grandmother who emigrated to the US from Ireland and settled in Muscatine, with help from St. Mary's Catholic Church. She was very proud of her Irish heritage. She graduated from Muscatine High School in 1948, and married Edward Bennett on March 6, 1960, in Muscatine. She enjoyed sharing stories of her family growing up, but she was more interested in getting to know o...[more]

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r people and hearing their stories. That quality made it easy for her to make friends and she had many close friends. Throughout her life she turned many worry stones to wafers as she kept her family well protected with constant prayers. She had a unique intuition and worried about things you hadn't even thought to worry about. We grew up with the comforting feeling that at any point in time she was thinking of us and praying for our safety, especially if we were traveling. She, on the other hand, was more than content to travel from the comfort of her home with a good book; she was fascinated with China and India, and especially enjoyed learning about other cultures. She also enjoyed Stephen King, Amy Tan, and Pearl Buck. We would like to thank the staff at the Musser Public Library who knew her so well they would show up with a bag of books for her to read. We would also like to thank everyone who helped her maintain her independence; she considered you all friends and was so grateful for you, including the staff at Wester's, HyVee's delivery team, her mail carrier, trash collector, and neighbors. She also wasn't afraid to bribe someone with a pie or cookies if she needed something done around the house. She is survived by her son, Jim Bennett and his wife, Barb, of Muscatine; her grandchildren, Emily Bennett of Muscatine and Andrew Bennett and his wife, Mallory, and their children Jackson and Sophia, of Des Moines; her sisters, Judy Vargus and her husband, Bob, and Jan Boche and her husband, Jurgen, all of Muscatine; and their families. Eileen is preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and her siblings, William Duggan, Phyllis Bartenhagen, and Richard Duggan.