July 7, 1935 – April 18, 2018
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Allan Arthur Bennett passed away April 18th, 2018 at a local healthcare facility after a long illness.
He was born on July 7, 1935 in Presque Isle, the son of Arthur Malcolm Bennett and Mable Lorna (Mason) Bennett.
Due to his father’s employments as a Game Warden, Border Patrol Officer and shipyard worker, the family moved numerous times. Allan attended many different schools state-wide.
Allan had a life-long love of the outdoors. He was happiest in the woods or on the rivers and streams of Aroostook County. As a teen he was a Registered Maine Guide and a Boy Scout.
Allan attended various area schools. He was a member and graduate of the Presque Isle High School class of 1953. He attended the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Architectural Engineering in 1956.
In February 1957 he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in the San Francisco Bay area.
In 1959 he left the Army and returned home to Aroostook County.
He joined the family business, Moderne Dry Cleaners and Furriers, and Bennett Enterprises, running laundromats in Presque Isle and Caribou.
Allan was also employed as a Clerk of the Works for Harriman Associates AIA.
In April 1962 he married his wife Kathleen G. (Norberg) Bennett. They settled in Presque Isle and raised two sons.
Allan was employed for many years as a project manager for several construction firms including: The Cutchin Co., Rathbun Co. and A.E. Flewelling Co.
Allan also was self-employed as a Design and Construction Consultant for many years designing numerous residences and businesses all over Aroostook County.
In 1983 he joined the faculty of Northern Maine Vocational Technical Institute (later Northern Maine Community College) as a Related Trades Instructor in the Trades and Technology Department, teaching Construction Surveying, Estimating, Materials and Methods, and Drafting.
Allan had a great interest in energy efficient construction and lectured locally, statewide and nationally on this subject.
Allan retired from Northern Maine Community College in 2003 after 20 years.
Allan was a long-time member of the New Sweden Covenant Church, serving on the Properties Committee.
Allan is survived by his wife, Kathleen (Norberg) Bennett; a son, Richard Eric Bennett; his sister, Ann B. Wight; a niece, Elizabeth W. Higgins and her husband, Frank Higgins and their daughter, Izabelle Higgins. Also a nephew, Roland “Rollie” W. Wight and his wife, Martha, and sons, Ryder and Nicholas Wight, all of Presque Isle.
He was predeceased by his parents, Arthur M. Bennett and Mable L. (Mason) Bennett; and a son, Arthur A. “Chip” Bennett.
There will be visiting hours for family and friends on Friday, April 27th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Leisure Village, 6 Dewberry Drive, Presque Isle, Maine.
A Celebration of Allan’s life will be held on Saturday, April 28 at 1:00 p.m. at the Covenant Church of New Sweden, 40 Westmanland Road, New Sweden, with the Reverend Timothy P. Stohlberg officiating. There will be an opportunity for family and friends to gather after the service.
Interment will be at a later date in Jemtland Cemetery, New Sweden.
The family would like to thank the staff of Leisure Village and The Aroostook Medical Center for their excellent care of Allan.
Services by Direct Cremation of Maine.
