PEABODY, MA: Rochelle "Shelley" A. Bennett, 73, of Peabody, MA (formerly of Chelsea, MA), died peacefully at home on Saturday, December 2, 2017 after suffering a long illness.
Rochelle leaves behind her sister Barbara Kennedy of Boynton Beach, FL, sister-in-law Geraldine Bennett of Framingham, MA and several nieces and nephews: David and Ann Kennedy of Saugus, MA, Marlene Kennedy of Lynn, MA, Cheryl and Michael Upton of Lynn, MA, Rhonda and Ronald Aldo of Mansfield, MA, Alan and Angel Kennedy of Boynton Beach, FL, Lisa Kennedy of Hillsboro, NH, Sharon and Lou Shuman of New Orleans, LA, Steven Bennett of CA and Diane and Kenneth Stone of Framingham, MA and several great nieces and nephews.
Rochelle is preceded in death by her loving parents, Abraham and Mollie Bennett, brother, Herbert Bennett, brother-in-law John Kennedy and nephew, Robert Kennedy.
Rochelle was born in Chelsea, MA and lived there throughout most of her life. She was a graduate of the Chelsea Public School System and Massachusetts Bay Community College. After college she worked in an administrative capacity at the law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, and Glovsky & Popeo and then in 1984 moved to the Venture Capital firm of Alta Communications where she eventually retired.
Rochelle considered Chelsea, MA to be her home and was very active in the Chelsea community and in 1994 Rochelle ran and was elected as Chelsea’s 8th District Councilor and served as such until 2003. She had a very strong bond with the City of Chelsea and the people who lived there. Her sole focus was to help the residents of Chelsea and to make Chelsea a great city. She was awarded the “Outstanding Service Award” from the Explorer Post #109 and Chelsea YMCA. She was also awarded the “Chelsea Latin Community Service Award.” Rochelle served for 4 years as a Trustee for the Breakwater Condominium Trust and worked closely with other associations to better the Chelsea community. Several of her many accomplishments include reducing weekend noise pollution from Logan Airport and being instrumental in getting the Assisted Living & Nursing Home Facilities built in Admiral’s Hill.
Rochelle was an extremely loving daughter and after losing her father in 1966, she devoted her life to taking care of her mother, Mollie Bennett, until her death in 1998. Rochelle never had children but shared a strong loving bond with her many nieces and nephews. Nothing was more important to Rochelle than her family.
Rochelle loved having fun and enjoyed watching old movies, listening to classic 40s and 50s music and playing the piano. She spent many weekends with her friends playing the piano and singing at the Continental Restaurant in Saugus, MA. She took pride in the fact that she worked hard for most of her life and was able to retire comfortably at an early age. She was so excited for this chapter in her life. She moved to Florida to enjoy the warm weather and the carefree days of retirement. Unfortunately, illness forced her to move back to Peabody, MA where she lived until her passing.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, December 10th at 12:00 PM at the Torf Funeral Home, 151 Washington Ave, Chelsea, MA, followed by burial at the Mishna Cemetery, Fuller Street, Everett, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the American Breast Cancer Society or the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.