William Jay Bennett “Bill”

Born June 21, 1955 in Rochester, NY, went home to be with the Lord on June 10, 2025 just short of his 70^th birthday.

Bill is survived and missed by his loving wife of 39 years Lynne (nee Brown), his children Douglas (Cate Cornish) and Cody (Devyn) Bennett, and his grandson Henry William Bennett.  His memory will be lovingly kept by the Bennett family including his mother, Joan Wyland, and his sisters Jane (Frank) Vavrick and Judy (Vince) Fleck.

He also leaves several nephews and a niece: Missy (Marc) LeBeau, Greg (Kathy) Vavrick, Devon Beach, and Tyler (Ashley) Mosher; an uncle Jay (Bev) Boyce; cousins Bob (Karen) Floyd, Jenny (Chris) Osborne, and Jeff (Wendy) Boyce; and his four sisters-in-law, along with their husbands and families.  Bill was loved and will be remembered by many devoted friends.

Bill was predeceased by his father Robert, his sister Jean, numerous aunts and uncles, and his niece.

Bill was a giant of a man.  He loved his family and friends deeply, and he was a master at maintaining relationships.  He was a role model for grace, extending it freely and without second thought.  Bill was a man of many talents, and even his catastrophic spinal cord injury at age 25 could not deter him from pursuing his passions.  Despite his paralysis and pain, both of which grew exponentially over time, he steadfastly and without complaint persevered to accomplish incredible feats even for someone without such injury.  From fully restoring classic cars and remodeling our homes, to smaller projects like restoring classic car parts and model steam engines, to his last labor of love, an old-fashioned pedal car for his cherished newborn grandson Henry, Bill loved to take something old and worn and make it new and pristine, down to every little detail.  Now God has done that for Bill himself.

Amazingly, just four years after his injury, he pursued and succeeded in obtaining his private pilot’s license.  He was an apt student and became an incredible pilot, as if he were born to it.  He flew for several years in the Western New York area.  Thirty years later, the itch to fly returned, and he acquired a much more complex airplane. He undertook instruction to master it and was successfully recertified with his license.  The FAA pilots who came to test him later told us that on paper, they had come to fail him, but they were astounded by his prowess and the fact that his physical limitations did not diminish his mastery of flying.

Bill’s courage and grit in overcoming the body he lived in to tackle any challenge were legendary.  He persevered under ever-increasingly severe physical obstacles and pain, yet he methodically carried on with a patience that most of us will never achieve.  More remarkably, he did it with a consistent positive attitude and humor.  Bill had such a quick wit, he admitted that at times, he didn’t know what his next one-liner would be until he heard it coming out of his own mouth.  He would have friends and family in tears laughing with his dry and direct sense of humor.  His flashing blue eyes and radiant smile were the icing on the cake as he enveloped all around him with his love and laughter.

His crowning achievement was his family.  Bill daily expressed his thankfulness for the two incredible sons God blessed him with, their marvelous wives, and now his beloved grandson; each of them being  “abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think”.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held Saturday (August 9th) 10:00 AM in the Chapel of Vay-Schleich and Meeson, 1075 Long Pond Road.  Private interment at Parma Corners Cemetery, Spencerport.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to his home church in Florida, who faithfully lifted Bill up in prayer through his struggle, and whose Pastor was always available for him and whose friendship he cherished:  

Tri-County Baptist Church, 38405 Rolling Acres Rd., Lady Lake, FL  32159

Let us remember and honor Bill by holding fast to his defining characteristics:

Love, Grace, Courage, and Humor