Michael Lee Bennett, age 73, of Warsaw, Missouri, passed away peacefully on December 6, 2025, at Golden Valley Hospital. He was born on December 10, 1951, in Atchison, Kansas, to Dallas L. Bennett Jr. and Flowanda.
As a young boy, Michael lived in Kansas, Texas, Guam, and California. At age sixteen, while attending Savannah High School in Anaheim, California, he met the love of his life, Beverly Landry. Together they welcomed the most beautiful daughter, Niola Jean, on January 24, 1969, and were united in marriage on March 21, 1970, in Anaheim, California.
Michael attended college at California State University, Fullerton, earning his master’s degree in Business and Economics in 1986. His greatest passion was his love of music. A dedicated student by day and a passionate musician by night, he performed as a singer, pianist, and guitarist in the bands Shadow and Splitting Image, entertaining in lounges, hotels, bars, and nightclubs. Music remained one of the great joys of his life.
In 1990, Michael and Beverly made their home in Warsaw, Missouri. He worked for Hughes Aircraft and invested in rental properties, always striving to provide for and support his family. He later retired from Hughes Aircraft and eventually from Waterloo, where he served as a supervisor.
Michael loved gardening, planting fruit trees, tending to his rabbit farm, fishing off his dock, checking his trotline, watching sports, and relaxing on his pontoon boat. One of his greatest blessings came in 1993 when his daughter’s family moved next door, allowing him the daily joy of spending time with his grandchildren, who adored him.
Michael was preceded in death by his parents Dallas L. Bennett Jr, Flowanda (Farr) Powell, and his brother, Scott Bennett.
He is survived by his daughter, Niola Neland, of Warsaw, Missouri; his three grandchildren, Brittney (King) Fernandez, Kristina King, and Taylor King; and his three great-grandchildren, John McArthur, Natalie McArthur, and Erikson Fernandez. His legacy of love, music, and being there for his family lives on through each of them.
