Jeffery Bennett

The fish are a lot safer in Jeems Bayou with the passing of Jeff Bennett on August 11, 2017. Jeff loved everything about fishing. It was the rhythm of his life. Caddo Lake was his cathedral and his pirogue was his pew. He loved the lake's peace, the quiet, the birds, the animals, the plants and being close to God. He hated the Giant Salvinia. Jeff was very concerned about the health of Caddo Lake. He supported the Caddo Lake Institute and was very proud that the lake was characterized as a wetland of international importance. Jeff relished the challenge of night fishing on Caddo and shared many stories about outsmarting fish in the dark. One of my favorite's was about the owl that swooped down, chased his topwater bait to the boat and almost landed on the bow. When not working or fishing, Jeff seemed to always be tending his grill cooking up chicken, smoking pork butt or other fare. He made "killer" pulled pork sandwiches. He learned to cook from our Mom. He honed his skill by experimenting and watching The Cooking Channels. He was very adventurous with herbs and often grew them in his small garden. He would place sprigs of rosemary on the coals to flavor certain meats. There were many savory evenings when we gathered around the firepit, enjoyed the aromas floating from the grill, watched the moon and the stars, and listened to fishing tales. Those evenings and tasty morsels will be missed by family and friends. Jeff inherited his father's (Stephen Bennett, deceased) carpentry and tinkering skills. He worked in the construction industry most of his life and in recent years focused on residential remodeling. He was a talented painter and excelled at home improvement projects. He was able to repair or refurbish almost anything. From a leaky faucet to holes in the ceiling, he was the man to call. Jeff helped us remodel our home in Baton Rouge, LA. When it was put on the market during the recession in January 2009, it sold in eleven days. That quick sale was the direct result to his attention to detail and craftsmanship. Jeff's demise began with congestive heart failure and was complicated by being stubborn, refusing to go to the doctor, and cancer. The family would like to acknowledge the staff at Willis Knighten Bossier for they saved his life in the ER. That gave us 12 extra days to learn his wishes. During this time he developed an appreciation for the skill required to care for a seriously ill person. He admired many that tended to him. At other times he was an annoying and defiant patient which offended some folks. We think some of the nurses need continuing education on the topic of patient rights. We especially wish to thank Aime Hospice Care for providing peace and dignity in his last hours. Jeff leaves behind his mother, Floye Bennett; his siblings, Brenda Watson, Virginia Murphy, Larry Bennett and Gloria McClure (Michael); his daughter, Alison Elise; and several cherished nephews. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Caddo Lake Institute, 400 Edwards St., Shreveport, LA 71101 or via PayPal by logging in at http://www.caddolakeinstitute.us/donate.html A celebration of Jeff's humble life will be held 2:30 p.m. August 20, 2017 at Southwood Gardens, 3550 Cedar Creek Dr., Shreveport, LA 71118. Buck Furlow, chaplain at Aime Hospice, will officiate. Turns out, Jeff knew Buck from high school. What a blessing.