Justin Ray Bennett

Justin Ray Bennett, loving son, brother, fiancé, devoted uncle and steadfast friend, passed away on Thursday, April 1, at his home in Jackson, Mississippi. He was 40 years old. Justin was born to Kenneth Reginald Bennett and Victoria (Vickie) Jenkins Loper on March 18, 1981, in Indianola, Mississippi, where he spent the bulk of his formative years and cultivated numerous lifelong friendships. After graduating from Indianola Academy in 1999, he attended Mississippi State University, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry in 2003. Justin was a chemistry specialist for the Entergy Corporation in Jackson, Mississippi, prior to his passing. Justin thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and friends, studying and reading the Bible, loved traveling, camping, and had a propensity for diving headlong into projects that were both creative and inventive in nature. He had a green thumb and passion for gardening and growing flowers, an avocation that allowed him to generously indulge family and friends in each season’s yield. For 40 years, Justin had a smile that was contagious, even in times when it wasn’t clear whether or not he was smiling within. He also possessed a mischievous grin and caustic wit that was overshadowed only by his big-hearted nature, which shone through an ever-present willingness to embrace a stranger in need. Justin was dearly loved by so many family and friends, for whom this loss feels unfathomable. Justin was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Billy Ray (Pop) Jenkins, of Laurel, Mississippi, and his paternal grandparents, Grady and Katherine Bennett, of Blaine, Mississippi, as well as a paternal uncle, Thomas Arthur Bennett, of Nashville, Tennessee. Justin leaves behind his beloved fiancé Wen Wen Cao. He is survived by his maternal grandmother, Wilma Jenkins, of Laurel, Mississippi, his mother and stepfather, Victoria (Vickie) and Scott Loper, of Laurel, Mississippi, his father and stepmother, Kenneth Reginald and Rhonda Adams Bennett of Madison, Mississippi. His siblings Daniel Grant Bennett (Lacey) of Madison, Mississippi, Jeremy Brandon Bennett of Amory, Mississippi, and Michael Heath Hendon of Chicago, Illinois. His nephews Noah Brandon Bennett, Jackson Lachlan Bennett, and Calloway Alexander Bennett. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins whom he loved dearly from both his paternal and maternal families. A Celebration of Life Funeral Service will be held at 3:00 pm at Memory Chapel Funeral in Laurel, Mississippi on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. The family will receive friends from 1:00-3:00 with Reverend Brent Benson officiating. Interment will follow in the Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Laurel, Mississippi. Pallbearers will be Randy Carr, Kyle Smith, Noah Bennett, Chad Street, Frazier Abraham and Michael Thornhill. To sign the online guest book, visit www.memorychapellaurel.com.

Justin Ray Bennett

March 18, 1981 - April 1, 2021