CHESTER, Vt. – Gertrude J. Bennett, born Sept. 11, 1928, passed away in her home with her two sons present Wednesday, Sept. 15 at the age of 93.
A native Vermonter from Alburgh, she came to Chester in 1959 from the Northeast Kingdom to teach home economics. Within months of moving to Chester, her father died of a heart attack and three months later her husband was killed in a truck accident. She spent her years as a single parent and also provided a home for her mother.
She was a graduate of UVM and for years maintained her connection by training student teachers from the university. During her first few years in Chester, she was instrumental in establishing the first teachers union and negotiated the first teachers contract in the district. In addition she developed the first early childhood curriculum in the state, which lasted for the majority of her 34 years of teaching in Chester.
She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Chester and served on its Board of Deacons for many years, in addition she was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and Delta Kappa Gamma. In her early years in Chester, she served on the Elementary Board and then the GMUHS Board after her retirement. She worked with state educators to develop and implement the local standards board for teacher licensing. There she served as chairmen for her entire time on the board.
After retirement, she established the Chester-Andover Family Center and served as its managing director. Over the years, she received many awards and commendations at the state and county level.
Mrs. Bennett loved teaching and education. There are men and women whom she had as students in the early ‘60s that still refer to her as Mrs. Bennett, a true sign of respect and love. She was the gold standard for honesty, humility, and integrity. She guided many students and colleagues in their pursuit of knowledge and growth and did so because she loved what she did so much and wanted others to love it and benefit from it as she did.
A celebration of her life will be held Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Chester.