James Cavender Bennett, Sr.

James Cavender Bennett, Sr., of Church Hill, MD, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2022, at Corsica Hills Nursing Facility in Centreville, MD. He was 88. Born on January 31, 1934, in Baltimore, MD, Jim was the son of the late Morgan Knight Bennett, Sr., and Emma Elizabeth Jarrell Bennett. His love and passion for aviation began as a small child when he had the chance to have his first ride in a J-3 Piper Cub at a local airstrip. After graduating from Preston High School in 1952, Jim enrolled in Embry Riddle School of Aviation in Miami, FL, and became an FAA certified aircraft mechanic. Following graduation, he served his country during the Korean War in the U.S. Army, 7th Infantry Division, as a Technical Inspector of observation planes. Later, he accepted a position in California flying for the famous aviatrix, Jacqueline Cochran, as her private co-pilot sitting beside his future father-in-law. This assignment would require him to spend six months in California and six months in New York each year. After his marriage to Nancy, they moved to Findlay, OH, where he flew for Marathon Oil Company as a corporate pilot. In 1962, Jim moved back to the Eastern Shore where he began a salvage business. He eventually took over the family business, Bennett & Cohey Auto Salvage, to raise his family in the same home where he grew up. Jim continued to enjoy flying throughout his life and owned various small planes, including his prized AT-6 Texan. He enjoyed his retirement years at Kennersley Farm in Church Hill, MD, at the “Eagle’s Rest.” Jim was a lifetime Colonel in the Commemorative Air Force, an original member of the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum and the Massey Air Museum. Jim is survived by his wife of 65 years, Nancy Bennett of Church Hill, MD; daughters, Beth Coxon (Bill) and Louisa Welch; sons James Bennett (Ana Ligia) and Edward Bennett (Kathryn); 14 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, Morgan K. Bennett, Jr.; sister, Evelyn B. Storey; and stepmother, Mildred Barwick Bennett. A visitation will be held on Monday, August 29, from 10am – 11am at the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A. in Centreville, MD, where a service will begin at 11am. Burial will follow in the Maryland Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery in Hurlock, MD. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, 11 Museum Drive, Reading, PA 19605.

James Cavender Bennett, Sr.

January 31, 1934 - August 21, 2022