Eva Faye Bennett

Eva Faye Bennett, 80, of Newcastle, NE, passed away on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at the Elms Health Care Center in Ponca, NE. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 9, 2009, from 1-3 p.m. at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel in Sioux City it will resume at St. Peters Catholic Church in Newcastle, NE from 5-8 p.m. with a vigil service to begin at 7:00 p.m.. A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2009, at St. Peters Catholic Church with Father Dan Wittrock and Deacon Dennis Knudsen celebrating. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Newcastle.

Eva Faye was born on June 5, 1928, in Allen, NE to Guy and Maude (Saunders) Olander. She grew up in Newcastle and graduated from Newcastle High School in 1947.

She married James E. Gene Bennett on August 24, 1948, at St. Peters Catholic Church in Newcastle.

The couple owned and operated Bennetts Caf for a number of years. Eva Faye later began working as a Nursing Assistant at the Elms Health Care Center in Ponca. She retired from the Elms after 30 years of service.

Eva Faye enjoyed watching movies and keeping up with the news; she loved her family, was a devoted wife. She recently became a great grandmother. Eva Faye was also a staunch Democrat. She was a member of St. Peters Catholic Church, Sodality and the American Legion Auxiliary.

Eva Faye is survived by her 3 children, William J. Bennett and wife Maureen of Sioux Falls, SD, Mark A. Bennett and wife Becky of Winston-Salem, NC, and Madonna A. Castle and husband Scott of Merrill, IA, 6 grandchildren, Amy Smolik and her husband Matt, Christine and Bill Bennett, Emma and Tessa Bennett and Dominick Castle, 1 great grandson, Brandt Bennett Smolik, 1 brother, Lloyd Olander of Newcastle, NE, 2 sisters, Delores Hanson of Newcastle, NE, and Rainy Kroger of Omaha, NE.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, James E. Gene Bennett on June 23, 1998, 5 infant daughters, 1 sister, Birdie Day, and a brother, Jim Olander.