May 5, 2008
Dorothy Bennett
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Dorothy Becker Bennett of Greenwich, co-founder of Caldor, Inc., died
at home surrounded by family on May 2 after a long battle with Lewy
Body Disease. She was 82 years old.
The daughter of Max Becker and Esther Genin Becker, Mrs. Bennett was born in Norwalk and grew up in Forest Hills, N.Y. Her first job was at The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine where she worked with patients being fit for prosthetics. This began a life-long dedication to health-related causes and helping others.
She married Carl Bennett on June 24, 1951, and settled in Stamford. Shortly thereafter, they founded Caldor, Inc. in Port Chester, N.Y. The name Caldor came from combining their first names, and this “partnership” was a signature characteristic of the couple. Mrs. Bennett worked alongside her husband for many years. Together they built the chain up to 100 stores until they finally sold it to Associated Dry Goods in 1981. In 1984, the couple moved to Greenwich.
Mrs. Bennett was passionate about community service and delighted in helping others in need. She served on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford and Fairfield University, and was active in a number of organizations including Congregation Agudath Sholom and the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center in Stamford, where she founded the Neat Place to Eat Restaurant. Along with her husband, Mrs. Bennett’s support extended to organizations including Yeshiva University, the Jewish Home for the Elderly in Fairfield, and both Stamford and Greenwich Hospitals, each of which has facilities named in their honor. They also created the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Chair in Judaic Studies at Fairfield University.
Besides philanthropy, Mrs. Bennett enjoyed birds, flowers, travel and all kinds of exercise including tennis, volleyball, golf and yoga. But, more than anything, she loved spending time with friends and family, especially her husband.
In addition to her husband of 57 years, Mrs. Bennett is survived by two sons, Marc Meyers and his wife Katy of Stamford, Bruce Bennett and his wife Jennifer of Rochester, N.Y., and daughter, Robin Kanarek and her husband Joseph of Greenwich; five grandchildren, Lauren and Zoe Bennett, Naomi and Gabriel Bennett, Sarah Kanarek; and one sister, Florence Caplan of Williams Island, Fla.
She was predeceased by her parents, her sister Sylvia Weinstein of Bayside, N.Y. and her grandson, David Bennett Kanarek.
A funeral service was held at Congregation Agudath Sholom, 301 Strawberry Hill Ave. in Stamford on Sunday, May 4. Shiva to be announced.
"We are eternally grateful to Dr. Alfred Wolfsohn of Stamford, Dr. Franklin Loria of Greenwich and Registered Nurse Antonett Kerr of New Rochelle for their dedication, compassionate care and never-ending concern," said the family.
Donations in her memory be made to The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center (Stamford Hospital Foundation), 9 West Broad St., 9th Floor, Stamford, CT 06902, Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care of Southwest Connecticut, 1029 East Main St., Stamford, CT 06902, or Congregation Agudath Sholom, 301 Strawberry Hill Ave., Stamford, CT 06902.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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