Margaret Cooper Bennett

Margaret Cooper Bennett,
b. January 29,1924 - April 28, 2015. A legacy of love. Daughter of Stuart Francis Cooper and Helen Huntsberger Cooper, and granddaughter of Milton Gilbert Cooper and Hattie Mae Cooper, one of the founding families of Southern California. Wife of Harold McQuarrie Bennett from 1947 to his passing in 2007, and survived by her sister Jane Copper Rhodes, her four children Helen Margaret (Mrs. Robert Guza, Jr.), Stuart Cooper Bennett, Barbara Jane (Mrs. Donivan Cowart), and Mr. & Mrs. Robert McQuarrie Bennett (Heying Bennett), and nine adoring grandchildren; Jolene Cowart Dixon, April Cowart Dunham, Rachel Cowart, Jenny Cowart, Michael Cowart, Adrian Bennett, Holly Bennett, George Bennett, and James Bennett.

Margaret, a graduate of L.A. High, attended UCLA during the war years then returned to earn her Masters, and in 1968 received her Doctorate in Psychology from the Claremont Colleges Graduate School. A longtime Pasadena resident and professor of Psychology at Pasadena City College, Margaret was also a practicing clinical psychologist and was often appointed to complex criminal cases by the Los Angeles Superior Courts. Margaret and her husband adored the beach and kept a small complex in San Clemente to which they retired and spent nearly two decades interrupted only by frequent trips to Poipu Beach in Kauai, HI.

Margaret loved the theatre, especially musicals, and was a film enthusiast with a vast knowledge of the movies and their stars. She also adored animals and raised many throughout her life. She was a capable horsewoman, and even a talented artist who painted her beloved cocker spaniels. She never spent a single day without an animal as a companion; even on holiday someone's pet would receive her affection. A strong believer in education, Margaret saw all of her children through four year University graduations, and sponsored countless students who became lifelong friends through Pasadena City College and often on to fine Universities and amazing careers. Margaret changed the world with her ideas, but more importantly by her actions. Her calm and steady power, ability to listen, and unconditional love of people, especially children and family, will live on as her 91 years of blessing this earth gently closes.