- Date Of Birth: May 18, 1937
- Date Of Death: May 1, 2018
- State: Arizona
Bennett, Ila May
Ila May Bennett, age 80, of Paradise Valley, Arizona passed away on May 1, 2018. Ila May was born on May 18, 1937 in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin to Agnes and Raymond Gaulke—the youngest daughter. She was a straight-A student in high school. She attended Milwaukee Downer College to pursue a major in child psychology. She married Thomas H. Bennett from Wisconsin Rapids in 1957. They were married for 52 years.
After her two girls were in college, Ila May became a real estate agent and was “A Million Dollar Seller.” She had a special knack to find just the right house for her clients!
Throughout her life, Ila May’s passion was her Keeshond dogs. She was an avid dog show enthusiast, and one of her dogs won “Best of Breed.” Ila May liked to eat at restaurants (and hated to cook), excelled at wrapping presents that looked picture perfect, and loved to find keepsake presents for her children and grandchildren’s collections, such as frogs and rhinos.
Ila May was a life-long member of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church and an excellent hymn singer. Ila May and Tom were very involved with the youth program at Immanuel Lutheran Church while living in Illinois. To avoid shoveling snow, they moved to Phoenix. In Phoenix, she had been a member of Christ Church Lutheran since 1971. Ila and Tom also resided in the Pinetop/Show Low area during the summer months—attending Shepherd of the Mountain Lutheran Church.
She is survived by daughters, Pauline (Dean) Dobranich and Cynthia (Bob) Herndon, and many nieces and nephews. She was affectionately known as Marme to her grandchildren and great grandchildren —who all loved her dearly.
