Town Clerk Janet Bennett dies after a brief illness

Town Clerk Janet Bennett [Roger Jackson file photo]

Visiting hours for Hull Town Clerk Janet Bennett will be held Thursday, Feb. 11, from 4-8 p.m. at Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald St., Hingham. 

Family and friends will gather at 9 a.m. Friday at the funeral home for a Celebration of Life service prior to her funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Ann’s Church in Hull. Burial will follow, at Hull Village Cemetery.

Mrs. Bennett died Friday, Feb. 5, after a brief illness. She was 78.

Mrs. Bennett had been Hull’s town clerk since 1980. She assisted her predecessor, Jack Darcy, for 12 years before being elected to the post. 

In addition to her role as town clerk, Mrs. Bennett also was the selectmen’s office manager. She had a tireless work ethic and was dedicated to her career and the townspeople she served.

In 2008, she was named one of the Commonwealth’s Unsung Heroines by The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. The award is given to “women who quietly, without fanfare or recognition, make their communities and the Commonwealth better places.” She also was a Hull Hero Award recipient.

Mrs. Bennett was a gracious, albeit private person, with a great sense of humor. She adored her family, especially her grandchildren, and enjoyed shopping and spending time with them. In her free time, she loved traveling and trips to Foxwoods. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. 

Mother of the late Ronald Bennett Jr. and his surviving spouse, Pamela Bennett of Hull; cherished sister of Buddy Finneran and his wife, Ginny, of Florida, Dorothy Smith and her husband, Ronald, of Hingham, June St. Croix of Hingham, Joseph Finneran and Robert Finneran, both of Hull, Michael Finneran and his wife, Laraine, of Hingham, and the late John and George Finneran; she was the devoted grandmother of Meghan and Christopher Bennett; and also is survived by many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.