Lee Bennett

Lee Glascock Evans Bennett, of Marfa and Clifton, passed away on Tuesday, August 08, 2017, at Lutheran Sunset Ministries’ Sunset Home. Her Clifton memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church, Clifton, on Friday, August 11, at 2:00 P.M. with the Reverend Mary Gean Cope officiating. Her Marfa memorial service will take place at a later date.

Lee was born in El Paso on August 29, 1921. She moved to Marfa just before her fifth birthday, and graduated from Marfa High School.

Lee attended Baylor University, and graduated in 1942 with Who’s Who and Most Representative Woman Student honors from that institution. She was an active member of the precursor to the Pi Beta Phi sorority, the Alpha Omega Club, Baylor’s oldest girls’ club.

Following graduation, Lee married Robert E. (Bob) Evans. World War II intervened, however, and Bob was killed in France. Lee then worked in the Marfa Army Air Field and met and married Murphy Bennett in 1948. The Bennetts and sons Travis and B.C. spent their early years living on the Bandera Ranch, located south of Marfa. They moved into town so the boys could attend MISD schools.

Lee taught history classes for 22 years at MHS, and, together with her students, put together the award-winning Junior Historian Collection of local history which is now located in the Marfa Public Library. One of her greatest joys in later years was seeing those students grow up and go on to achievements both large and small. She referred to them lovingly as “her kids.” During this time, she earned two masters’ degrees from Sul Ross State University, including coursework from Vanderbilt University and Texas A&M University. In 1974, she earned her Private Pilot’s license.

After teaching at the high school level, Lee served as an adjunct instructor in education and history for SRSU. She also worked as the “third teacher appraiser” for school districts throughout Texas. She was a member of the Education Service Center Region 18 Board of Directors in Midland for fifteen years. From 1993-1999 she presented local history seminars to Elderhostel groups at Prude Ranch. Prior to moving to Clifton, Lee authored The History of the Marfa National Bank, 1907-2007.

The City of Marfa, First United Methodist Church, Bloys Camp Meeting and anything historical were also of great interest to Lee. She co-chaired Marfa’s Centennial celebration (1983), and chaired Bloys Camp Meeting’s Centennial celebration (1989), and FUMC Marfa’s Centennial (1986) and Decicentennial (1996) celebrations. She chaired FUMC Marfa’s Administrative Council for ten years, and was Woman of the Year in Marfa in 1974. Lee was active with the Marfa History Club and served as president from 2000-2002.

In 2005, Lee moved to LSM’s Rainbow Village in Clifton, where she enjoyed the fellowship and camaraderie of her many friends there. She reminded others that Clifton “felt” like Marfa!

Lee was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Sophie Lena Mitchell Glascock Jackson, her stepfather, Pearl Andrew Jackson, and her husbands, Bob E. Evans and Murphy Travis Bennett.

Lee is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Travis and Karel Bennett of Atenas, Costa Rica, and B.C. and Leslie Bennett of Clifton; a grandson, Brian Cunningham of Midland; granddaughters Erica Sisemore of Lubbock& Katherine Argo and her husband Ross of Clifton; great-grandsons Parker& Preston Sisemore of Lubbock and Gray Argo of Clifton; and great-granddaughter Reese Argo of Clifton.