Services for Philip L. Bennett, 82, of Francis are 11:00 a.m. Monday, February 6, 2023 at Criswell Funeral Home, Rev. Earl Hood will officiate. Burial will follow at Cedar Grove Cemetery.
Phil passed away February 1, 2023 at the age of 82 years and 3 months. He was born to Carl E. Bennett and Zelma V. Bennett at Lowel, Kansas. He was mostly raised in Joplin, Missouri area. His parents moved to California for a while then back to Joplin. Phil had many talents.
He could write poetry, and songs. He liked playing the guitar. It was fun and relaxing to him. When Johnny Cash came out with his songs about Trains, and prison etc. he learned those songs.
Phil did construction work most of his life, Roofing, Siding, Framing, Running Concrete, and laying blocks. He built a house for him and his family. It went kind of slow as he built it like (Pay as You Go) So when he was finished there was no house payments. When his health started to fail more, he got another professional home siding installer to side the house. This sider had a lot of cut work to do, and asked “why so much cut work?” Phil answered cause he didn't want to go in debt.
One of his hobbies back in late 1960's was wood carving. It was restful to him to set on patio and whittle after doing a hard day’s work. He was asked by one of his roofing customers if he would let them put one of his carvings in her private art gallery. She chose the one that had a big barrel keg with metal bands around it, it was wooden and on top of the keg was an Out Side Toilet. How funny if you can imagine that.
Phil always did his own mechanic work on any vehicle he had. When he moved to Oklahoma in 1971, he worked on other people’s cars. He built a hot rod with a hole cut in the hood for the breather on top. His son Mike sure liked driving that and it was plenty fast.
Later he built a 12' ft by 50 ft shop for his wife to pour ceramics and teach classes. After she quit, he made good use of the building. He figured out the formula and made (Carbon Quartz Sharpening Stones) He sold them at Gun Shows and Flea Markets but not before he made a (Blue Print) of the stone and sent off and got a Patent Pending on them. These stones were an 8 on the hardness scale and diamonds are a 10. Several men bought them in bulk for resale. Carbon Quartz Sharpening Stones were unique. They were color of a candy cane and round. Larger at one end and went almost to a point at the other end.
In the late 1980's he built a 11ft by 50 ft concrete bridge that was re-enforced with (4) steel rods for good strength. It was strong enough for a big truck to pull a mobile home across. He did this all by hand. There was no cement bringing cement to him. It was very hard work. All the while he was building the bridge, he was helping be a caretaker for his wife’s mother and grandmother. He was one busy man.
In the early 1990, Phil wrote and sang (Colorado Miner) It was Critiqued in Nashville. They really liked his guitar playing.
Phil enjoyed taking rides and camping out. His relatives had a place called Bennett Springs in Missouri that is famous for Trout fishing. He and his wife pitched tents and called it Motel 6, LOL.
His relatives had their own cemetery called Bennett Cemetery. Before his health started to fail more, He and his wife went for rides in eastern Oklahoma to see pretty scenery and Robbers Roost. He and his wife always had fun whatever they did.
Phil is survived by his wife, Norma Jean Bennett, of the home; one son, Michael Dwayne Bennett, Stonewall; and two grandchildren, Christopher and Mandy Bennett.
Phil was preceded in death by: His father Carl E. Bennett, his mother Zelma V. Bennett and His sister Karen V. Drewelow, and brother-in law Jim Drewelow.
Criswell Funeral Home, Ada
