Bernice Bennett, an 11th-generation Miller, died at home in Springs on Sept. 6. The cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Mrs. Bennett was 91.
She and her husband, the late James Bennett, were known for their talks and presentations on the old Bonac way of life. At one such talk, her family said, a man said he had been a Springs resident for 60 years and wanted to know when he could claim himself to be a Bonacker, to which she replied, “Oh, you will never be a Bonacker.”
Bernice Miller was born on July 20, 1935, to Duane M. Miller and the former Evelyn A. Garypie. She graduated from the Springs School and East Hampton High School. She and Mr. Bennett, who died in 2023, were elementary school sweethearts. They were married at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton during Hurricane Edna in September 1954. There was no electricity or running water at her parents’ house in Springs, where the reception took place, but Mrs. Bennett commented it wasn’t a problem because they still had their outhouse.
When her children and grandchildren were young, she could be found hunting for turtles, spring peepers, horseshoe crabs, and other wildlife, and she enjoyed spending time at the beach, on a boat, or entertaining her children’s neighborhood friends who often gathered for sleepovers in the Army tent pitched in the backyard.
She was known to spend an entire day in her favorite chair, a book in hand and legs tucked under her. With Mr. Bennett she took several trips across the country and to the Canadian Maritimes in their camper. For several years, the couple had a house in Naples. Fla., where she took Spanish classes for years but admitted she never seemed able to say more than a few words.
Mrs. Bennett worked as an administrative assistant at Sag Harbor Industries until her first child was born. After a 14-year hiatus, she returned, going on to become the vice president in charge of purchasing. She was a true career woman, her family said, smart and commanding for all of her 4-foot-11-inch stature. One of her biggest regrets, they said, was retiring. She also worked for her husband’s business, Bennett Marine in Springs.
She became a member of St. Luke’s as a child and went on to become a lay minister and youth fellowship leader at St. Peter’s Chapel in Springs. She later joined the Springs Presbyterian Church, where she was an active participant in the prayer study group. She loved to sing in church, her family said, but admitted she was tone deaf, a condition confirmed by her children. She was especially fond of the Christmas Eve candlelight service.
A master scallop opener, she could be found opening in her father’s and later her husband’s scallop houses until the early morning hours. She was a volunteer for the Springs Fire Department’s scholarship committee and the Springs School’s budget vote.
Mrs. Bennett is survived by two children, Glenn C. Bennett, who lives in Springs with his wife, Pam Sellers Bennett, and Joan Bennett Lyons, also of Springs, and her husband, Patrick Lyons. Four granddaughters also survive. They are Kasey Lyons Giarro of East Patchogue, Jillian Lyons Gil of Fort Collins, Colo., and Sarajean Bennett and Sadie Bennett, both of Springs. She leaves three siblings, Charlotte Miller Bennett and Beryl Miller DeMain, both of Springs, and Duane M. Miller Jr. of North Haven, as well as many nieces and nephews and her longtime caregiver, Corraine Mitchell-Traile.
Visiting hours were on Sept. 9 at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. A graveside service took place on Sept. 10 at Green River Cemetery in Springs.
Mrs. Bennett donated her body to Stony Brook University for medical research. Her family has suggested memorial contributions to East End Hospice at eeh.org.
