Ann Lucy (Surico) Bennett

Ann passed away at the age of 90 on March 14, 2024, a date she knew was chosen by God before she was even born. (Psalm 139:16) She wanted anyone who read her obituary to know that her faith assured her that when she passed from this earthly life, she went to a far better eternal life in Heaven with her Savior, Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 2:9)

Ann was born in Poughkeepsie, NY to Italian immigrant parents who never went to high school. They had no aspirations that their children would graduate either, but all seven did.  Ann was the youngest, and in 1951 her graduation speaker was Eleanor Roosevelt. She had taken secretarial classes and was working at IBM when a friend asked her to fill in on a blind date. The date was with a cadet from West Point (USMA). Ann did, and the rest was history.  She and Les fell in love, and after he graduated on the morning of June 4, 1957, they married that evening in the Cadet Chapel.

Ann was proud of being an Army wife for 30 years. She filled her role beautifully while raising four children, moving 18 times stateside and overseas, entertaining and providing hospitality to so many during her lifetime.  Wherever they moved, Ann was active in church or chapel activities, teaching Sunday school and Bible studies. Even in retirement, Ann was always looking for opportunities to serve and help others.

The turning point in Ann’s life was when she accepted Christ as her Savior. Her introduction to the Bible had been through studying the book of John in a Chaplain’s home while she and Les were dating. At the time, she was just glad she was marrying someone who wanted his family to attend church. After they married, they also attended OCF (Officer’s Christian Fellowship) Bible studies. However, it was after her husband’s second deployment to Vietnam that she finally knelt beside her bed and asked Christ into her heart. Life had become overwhelming with children and the demands of Les’s military duties. Ann often felt like a single parent. After one particularly frustrating day she got on her knees and prayed. (Romans 10:9) She knew God heard her and would strengthen her for whatever difficulties lay ahead. From that point on she said, “I knew my future was secure in Christ, that He loved me beyond measure and would never let me go.”

Ann leaves behind her four children, Tom (Kari) Bennett, Susan (Rick) Burby, Janie Bennett and Tim Bennett; four grandchildren, Will Burby, Ethan Burby, Nicholas Bennett and Ashleigh (Stephen) Zeller, as well as many cherished nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her husband, Lester E. Bennett, her parents Frank and Vittoria (Covella) Surico, by brothers, Valerio, Matteo, Frank, Benny and John; sister, Isabel (Gover), and granddaughter, Anne Marie Burby. 

Memorial Service for both Ann and Les will be held on March 23 at 10:00 AM, Linworth Baptist Church.  

Private burial alongside her husband will be at a future date at the United States Miliary Academy, West Point Cemetery, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to the Officer’s Christian Fellowship, 4050 Lee Vance Drive, Suite 330, Colorado Springs, CO 80918.