Obituaries

Late Wilmington Resident Was Well Known Cashier at Elia's Country Store

Mildred Bennett, 90, was also an active member of the church community in town.

The following is an obituary courtesy of Nichols Funeral Home.

Mildred Janet (Faulkner) Bennett, 90, of Wilmington, formerly of Reading, died peacefully on June 8 at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill.

Mil was born on March 30, 1924, to the late James Everett and Mary (Nelder) Faulkner. She was raised and educated in Reading, graduating from Reading High School in 1941. Following graduation, she spent 23 years as a secretary at Eaton Vance, an investment brokerage firm in Boston.

She married the love of her life, the late Austin F. Bennett Jr., with whom she shared 37 years of marriage. They built their life together in Wilmington, where they brought together extended family every year for much-anticipated holiday gatherings, and where Mil lovingly cared for her aging mother. She was an active member of the Wilmington Congregational Church for many years, and was well-known as a cashier at Elia’s Country Store. She has lived in Wilmington for more than 50 years, first in the family home on Lawrence Street and more recently at Windsor Place.

Mil is predeceased by her sisters Estelle Wardwell and Catherine Frizzell, her brother James Everett “Bud” Faulkner Jr., her granddaughter Molly, and two nieces that were as close as sisters to her, Cynthia Elia and Nancy Trull.

She is survived by her dear daughter and son-in-law Kim and Tom Dawley and her loving granddaughters Megan and Caitlin, all of North Andover, MA, as well as many devoted nieces and nephews.

Family and friends will gather for Visiting Hours on Thursday, June 12th from 4:00-7:00 p.m. in the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Rte. 62), Wilmington.  Mildred’s Funeral Service will be held on Friday, June 13th at 10:00 a.m. in the Wilmington Congregational Church, 220 Middlesex Ave., Wilmington.  Interment will follow in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody.


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