James A. Bennett

James A. Bennett

James A. Bennett, 86, Bothell, Washington, died August 7, 2017 at home surrounded by family after a brave battle with cancer.  He was known as Jim in Seattle, but carried the nickname “Sonny” in his native New England.

Jim was born on July 10, 1931 and later adopted by Chester and Anne Bennett of Cambridge, Massachusetts.   He grew up with five siblings, Chet, Bob, Dick, Mary Lou and Buddy.

Jim left high school at 17 to join the army, training at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington before deployment with the U.S. occupying forces in Japan.  When war broke out in Korea, Jim served his country with American and U.N. forces.

Returning to the States in the early fifties, Jim met his first wife Maxine and raised three children in Shoreline, Washington, just outside of Seattle.  In the early seventies, Jim met his second wife, Cindy, and they made a home in the Bothell area for over 40 years.  Originally an aerospace machinist at the Boeing Company of Seattle and later at Triway Manufacturing of Marysville, WA, Jim eventually made his way into sales.  He returned to Triway as their sales manager after a short hiatus.  He finished his career in sales with Marine Iron Works of Tacoma, Washington, retiring in the mid-nineties.

Earlier in his life, Jim displayed an exceptional talent for coaching youth athletics, including baseball, basketball and football.  He was also responsible for starting the first Physical Education program at St. Mark’s Grade School in Shoreline, and ran a girls drill team for number of years, participating in parades and community events throughout the region.

Jim is survived by his devoted wife, Cindy.  He also leaves behind his sister, Mary Lou McNulty, daughter Michelle Ruelas of Shoreline, WA, son and daughter-in-law Jim Jr. and Janet Bennett of Seattle, and daughter and son-in-law Monica and Paul West of Snohomish, WA.  He is also survived by five grandchildren, Francisco, Emma, Jamie, Brandon, and Jules.  Recently this past summer, Jim welcomed his first great-grandchild, Lucy, into the world.

A celebration of Jim’s life is scheduled for Monday, August 21, 11:00 a.m. at Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo, WA.