John Oliver Bennett

John Oliver Bennett, 68, passed from this life to eternal life on November 26, 2020 in Fayetteville, Ark. He was born to John and Murle Kirby Bennett on May 23, 1952 in Chillicothe, Mo., and was raised on a farm northeast of Laclede, Mo. John battled lymphoma for seven years without complaint. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Murle Bennett of Laclede, Mo.; parents-in-law, Rev. Doctor Bill and Ann Schleiffarth of Brookfield, Mo., and sister-in-law Trisha McCay of Bella Vista, Ark. On July 23, 2005, John married Ellyn Schleiffarth in Fort Smith, Ark. She was the love of his life. Their correspondence and relationship began 30 years following an unspoken, shared affection in high school. John obtained an undergraduate degree in chemistry from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. Later, he studied biochemistry at the University of Missouri in Columbia where he ultimately completed a master's degree in Agronomy in 2006. He worked for the USDA and was co-author of several published research papers. When not in school, John worked on the family farm and repaired water tanks for the Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel Company (PDM). John will be remembered by his family and friends as a kind, thoughtful, and soft-hearted man with a brilliant mind, a wonderful way with words and a dry sense of humor. People were drawn to his genuine spirit and the sincerity in which he listened to them. On countless occasions, when out on a routine trip to the hardware store or even at a War Eagle Crafts Fair (what says true love and devotion more than escorting your wife and sister to a crafts fair?), he may be found engaged in deep, thoughtful conversation with an old acquaintance or a total stranger. As a handyman, a woodworker, and a fixer of all things, John was never without a project. Having been raised on a farm, John loved to grow and nurture everything from soybeans or Habanero peppers to swaths of flowers, bushes and trees. As a biochemist, he loved understanding how the world worked—from a John Deere tractor to protein synthesis. His wife often said that when she saw John out on his John Deere tractor, she knew all was right with the world. The family would like to thank the wonderful nurses at Highlands Oncology Group of Northwest Arkansas who cared for John throughout the years. They want to especially thank Dr. Patrick Travis and his team for the remarkable care that they gave and the friendships that were developed. They also give thanks to the amazing care given by the nurses and doctors at the Willard Walker Hospice Home in Fayetteville, Ark. Donations may be made in honor of John to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at their website: www.donate.lls.org/is/donate or to a charity of your choice. John asked that there be no service, but a celebration of life will be held at a later date. To sign the online guest book please visit www.nelsonberna.com.