Mike Bennett, Rest in Peace
Michael Bennett, aged 91, of Fort Mill, South Carolina, passed away peacefully at home on August 5, 2025. There will be a visitation at Wolfe Funeral Home in Fort Mill on Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 2 pm to 2:30 pm and the family will be hosting a celebration of life at 2:30 pm. There will also be a service in New York the following week.
Born in Yonkers, New York, Mike was the son of James Bennett and Julia Curley. He attended Yonkers High School and after graduating, went directly into the Navy, serving on an AKA during the Korean Conflict. He went to navigational school in Bainbridge, Maryland and when a civilian again, attended City College in New York for two years.
While working in Albany, New York for over thirty years, he assisted three State Senators – John E. (“Chippie”) Flynn, Christian Ambruster and William F. Condon. At the same time, he also worked as a bricklayer in New York City for over 25 years. In Albany, he served as a lobbyist for the National Electrical Contractors Association for more than 15 years, as well as the Sandy Hook and Hudson River Pilots. Mike served as a Legislative Advisor for the New York State Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen, was a member of the New York State Conference of the B.A.C. Committee on apprenticeship and training and served as a consultant to the Pointers, Caulkers and Cleaners on Building and Mason Restoration.
Mike worked on a project related to the deceased Yonkers’ veterans of the Korean Conflict, along with the annual P.A.L. Poster Contest in Yonkers.
Roberta and Mike were married for 52 years. They lived in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York for over 45 years and moved to South Carolina in 2020. They have three sons – Rob (Lorraine), Jimmy and Michael – and three grandchildren – Sophie, Brodie and Molly. Mike is survived by two sisters – Peggy Boscarino and Mary Lou Magner.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org/donate).
Editor’s Note: I spent many happy days with Mike Bennett. Together with his amigo, photographer Ed Whitman, Mike would travel the city and take the photographs which we would run in our Yonkers Rising paper. These photos would come in almost every week for years, with Mike providing a keen eye to which images should be included and which photos should make it on the front page.
Mike was a non-partisan supporter of the Mayor of Yonkers and a cheerleader for the City of Yonkers. With his work and Ed’s photos, Mike presented the positive side of Yonkers, through its people and organizations. They came into my office with their photos when Phil Amicone was Mayor, and then when Mike Spano was Mayor.
Mike was a big part of the Yonkers PAL and helped serve thousands of young adults by keeping the doors at the Walshin Center open.
I learned about the Chosin River and the Korean War, as well as Yonkers’ history and legendary figures like Tom Brogan, from Mike, who served on the staff of one of Yonkers’ famous politicians, State Senator John Flynn.
God Bless Roberta and his family, I am glad that you got to spend these last few years with Mike.
