John "Jack" Edward Bennett

John (Jack) Edward Bennett, age 89, of Elk River, Minnesota, passed away on Sunday, August 23rd, 2026, at home surrounded by family. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on September 1st, 1936, to Corey and Rosella Bennett.

John was a proud Minneapolis Vo-tech Mechanics program graduate. A large part of his career was working with the Minneapolis Fire and Police departments keeping big fire trucks and smaller squad cars running. He was often in the thick of the action. He was ‘Red Rover’ repairing at the scene, like during the 1982 Thanksgiving Day fire that took out one entire block in downtown. He took pride in his work, always striving for the best outcome in cost, durability, happy team members, etc. His opinion was well respected, often joining the team checking out new equipment all over the country.

His mechanical aptitude made him a MacGyver before there was a MacGyver, a real ‘Jack’ of all trades. He converted an old linen delivery van into a fully functional camper that slept 8. There was a down side to being a depression era handy guy – he held onto everything, it may be useful down the road you know J. This ability to fix anything made him very popular with many family members and friends. He was always willing to help out. He was generous with his time and talents. His kind heart helped so many it finally got tired and wore out.

Jack enjoyed telling stories of his life experiences, and people enjoyed hearing them. Often the stories had a humorous twist. One of his granddaughters shared how she loved when he laughed at his own punch lines.

John was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Jane M Bennett, his sons Scott O’Keefe, Russell O’Keefe, and daughter Lynn O’Keefe. He is survived by his sister Barb Zacher, sister-in-law Sally Bennett, and his children: Kat Pershina, Mary Jo Woolf, Linda Presler, John (Linda) Bennett, David (Suzanne) Bennett, Jill (Bill) Dean, Jennifer Bennett Johnson, and Craig O’Keefe Bennett. He is also survived by 21 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, 3 great-great-grandchildren and many nieces & nephews.

He was also preceded in death by his sister Patrica Eckerman, his brother James Bennett, and his parents.

Celebration of Life services will be held at Evans-Nordby in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on August 29th, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. Visitation will begin one half hour prior to the service.