Bertha Bennett

Bertha Elizabeth Stiff Bennett was born February 13, 1929, to her loving parents Thomas Edward and Eliza Johnson Stiff in Prospect, VA. She passed away peacefully at her home on September 21, 2026. Bertha was the youngest of four children born to her parents.

Bertha graduated from R. R. Moton High School, and continued her education with a Certificate in Secretarial Sciences. She worked at Standard Register for a number of years and as a nursing assistant for over ten years. Bertha was a trailblazer in Bridgeport, Connecticut when she worked at Sprague Meter. She became the first Black woman in the assembly department. She was employed by that company for over twenty years until she retired.

In Springfield, MA, she united in marriage to Curtis A. Bennett, Sr. They later relocated to Stratford, CT for better job opportunities and started their family of five children: Daphne, Colleen, Vidette (deceased), Curtis Jr., and Valerie.

She joined the Calvary Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Bridgeport, CT. After she moved to Prospect, she worshiped at the Sharon SDA Church and the Farmville SDA Church.

Upon retirement Bertha and Curtis Sr. returned to Prospect to care for her elderly mother. They built a new home, and for several years cared for her with love and devotion.

From her earliest days Bertha showed the qualities that defined her life: hardworking, family oriented, quick wit. Bertha displayed practical wisdom that shaped the lives of her family, and everyone was blessed to have known her. Bertha actively enrolled her children in piano, voice, and sewing lessons to ensure broad experiences for them. Bertha grew fruit and nut trees in her orchard, planted large vegetable gardens each year, and decorated her home with a large variety of flowers and shrubs. Family and friends enjoyed the preserves, fruits, and vegetables from the orchard and garden. She baked cakes, especially, German chocolate and made homemade ice cream that she shared with others. Bertha also collected plates, enjoyed thrifting and decorating her home with her finds. At home she often sang spirituals as she worked or cooked.

Bertha is preceded in death by her parents, her brothers William Henry Stiff and Thomas Russell Stiff, her sister Gertrude Stiff, her husband Curtis Sr., and her daughter Vidette Bennett

She leaves behind a loving family who will forever honor her memory: her children, Daphne Lindo (Calvin), Colleen Bennett, Curtis A. Bennett, Jr. (Rose), and Valerie Campbell (Ralph).
Other survivors include her grandchildren, Troy Lindo (Chioma), Cara Lindo, Darnell Bennett, Kamara Bennett, Cherida Nichols (Larry), Vyanah Campbell, and Quince Campbell, sister-in-law Mamie Stiff, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and great-grandchildren, all of whom she cherished greatly.

Those we love may go out of sight.
But never out of our minds
They are cherished in the hearts.
Of those they leave behind.

Sorrowfully Submitted
~The Family~

Public viewing will be held on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bruce and Stiff Funeral Home, 1121 Old Courthouse Rd., Appomattox, VA 24522

The Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2026, 12 P.M. at Farmville Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 2086 Cumberland Rd., Farmville, VA 23901. Mrs. Bennett will lie in repose one hour prior to the funeral service.

Interment will be in Sulphur Spring Baptist Church, Road 615, Prospect, VA