Robert Holden "Bob" Bennett, Jr.

On Tuesday, September 6, 2022, Bob Bennett, loving spouse of Eileen (Trainor)  and father of Diane Nestor and Brian Bennett, passed away at age sixty-five.  Bob devoted his heart and soul to his family.  In many ways, he wanted to instill the values he learned from his parents, Bob, Sr. & Elizabeth in earning his Eagle Scout honors.  Bob is survived by his sister Lynn B. Scott and brother William F. Bennett.

Bob graduated from Blair High School, as a member of the Blazers Maryland State Basketball Championship Team in 1975.   During high school, he also played football which prepared him for decades of volunteer coaching in the Laurel Boys & Girls Club when his children were young.  He is best known as a football coach and He acted as the football commissioner for several years in the 1990’s.  He also ran the Art Monk Summer Football camp under Sports International for about 10 years.  Bob spent a career in sales.  For the first 17 years of marriage, he was the wholesale paper industry at Frank Parsons Paper Company.  He moved into the competitive field of talent acquisition in temporary staffing, where he worked as a division director, branch manager, sales manager, field trainer, and director of strategic solutions.  His expertise in growing accounts in new territories earned him a stellar reputation in the trade.

Bob believed in a work-life balance.  Bob played extensively in the men’s softball leagues throughout Laurel and ASA travel teams.  However, Bob’s favorite activity was playing golf.  But not just any golf!   His goal was to play the top 100 courses in the country, so he and his wife  used this as their travel guide to create a lifetime of travel throughout the United States.  His talent as a salesman often came in handy to obtain some of the most coveted tee-times on the most prestigious courses, meeting the most interesting people who also “dabbled” in the sport of golf.  His most well known introduction is “Hi, I’m Bob!”  The friendly demeanor just opened doors which might otherwise be closed. His secondary passion included collecting polo-style shirts of college mascots and logos.  In truth, he is a college football fan and trivia buff, and wanted a conversation starter when entering a room.

Bob saw his own family grow with the marriages of his two children.  Diane married Denver Nestor, bringing a grandchild, Desiree into the family dynamics.  His family pride doubled when Brian took EJ as his bride and they introduced a second grandchild into the family.  Stevie is starting the second generation of the Bennett family on the path through Pallotti Early Learning Center and into kindergarten at St. Mary’s of the Mills School.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 11, 2022 at 2pm at Donaldson Funeral Home in Laurel, Maryland.  Family will be available in the chapel setting beginning at 1pm. To view a livestream of the service please click HERE

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends consider donating blood as “the gift of life”, donating to St. Mary’s of the Mills Parish School (Laurel, MD), or donating time and money to the charity of your choice.