Joseph E. Bennett, better known as “Joe”, passed away on December 4, 2012, having completed 32 years of perfect attendance as a Lucketts Ruritan member. He was a retired Navy Lt. Commander and moved to our Lucketts community in the 1970’s with his wife Gloria and three children. He was one of 16 of the original founding members of the Club in 1979. He immediately became a leader and mainstay, helping to guide the Club on a steady course through difficult and challenging times.

In September of 1979, Joe single handedly and with great professional ability, organized and drafted the Club’s original Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Lucketts Ruritan Club, Inc. He was responsible for developing and finalizing the Restatement of Articles of Incorporation in July of 1996. I remember many hours of meetings at Joe’s home on Furnace Mountain when we deliberated how best to proceed with these important documents. It was Joe’s steady hand, deliberate and determined nature that allowed us to develop a sound legal foundation which these documents portray.

Joe was a man of great detail and admirably served as Secretary for many years. He headed up a number of committees and special projects as a member of the Board of Directors. He served twice as President of the club in 1982 and 2005. In total, Joe served 18 years as an officer or board member of the club.

As club President in 2005, Joe presents Lucketts Citizen of the Year award to Geraldine Bettis.

 

 

He was responsible for initiating the first black and white Lucketts Newsletter, which is now printed in full color keeping the Lucketts Community up to date on local events. In March of 2006, he completed a major filing with the IRS to obtain a 501(c) (3) status for the Club as well as a similar status with the state of Virginia which he maintained and kept updated. He assumed responsibility for keeping detailed records of the Club’s activities and developed an outstanding Lucketts Ruritan, Inc. Tenth Anniversary Review dating from the original date of existence, May 9, 1979.

The detail and hours spent by Joe on the Club activities can never be accurately measured, for we can only guess at the hours he spent indexing the Club Minutes from 1980 to 2004.

Joe Bennett was a loyal member and dedicated leader of our Club. We will forever be grateful to him for his many years of unselfish service and contributions. He will truly be missed as a friend, founder and fellow Ruritan member.

John B. Adams

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Joseph E. Bennett Loudoun Funeral Chapel Obituary:
http://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Joseph-Bennett/#/Obituary