Helen "Henny" Harper Bennett

August 1, 2016

Helen “Henny” Harper Bennett, of Bloomfield, Ct., died August 1. She was 94 and had resided at Duncaster with her late husband, Gordon Bennett, since 2003. Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Henny grew up in Longmeadow, Mass. and attended Wellesley College, transferring to Sarah Lawrence and graduating in 1943. She married Franklin Benjamin Watters, M.D. that same year and after the war, the couple moved to West Hartford, where they raised their four children. She divorced in 1976. In 1978 Henny married Gordon Bennett, also of West Hartford, and together they appreciated the joys of family, friends and travel for the next 32 years until Gordon’s death in 2010. Family and friendships were woven into the fabric of Henny’s daily life. Her relationships were deep and constant. Birthdays, graduations, weddings, special events, and the gathering for meals were the centerpieces of her life. Her calendar overflowed with parties, events, people to call, gardens to tend, food to prepare and cookies to deliver. Henny possessed that rare combination of an intimate immersion in her local community and a pervasive interest in the global community. Her remarkable memory and positive spirit always led to engagement, laughter, and exploration. She never forgot those she met along the way. Curious and dedicated, her travels to 196 countries were not just ‘pins on the world map,’ but opportunities for constant learning. Professionally Henny initially worked in public relations for Easter Seals and the Institute of Living. She later organized tours around the world for the Connecticut River Valley Embroiderers’ Guild, as well as for various friends and numerous clients. Henny was a member of the Junior League of Hartford, served on the Women’s Committee of the Wadsworth Atheneum, and was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors for the Hartford Golf Club. She leaves her daughter, Nancy S. Watters, of Dover, NH and her sons F. Benjamin Watters Jr., of Cheshire, Conn., Stephen H. Watters and his wife, Anne, of Oyster Bay, NY, and David H. Watters and his wife, Jan Alberghene, of Dover, NH., five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sister, Jane Punderson, and a grandson, Zachary Watters. An interment service will take place in the Memorial Garden of St. John’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford at 11am September 17. Donations may be made to Easter Seals of Connecticut. Online expressions of sympathy may be addressed to www.molloyfuneralhome.com