— Read Our Free Obituary Policy —
Janet Lee Bennett (nee Schoonover), 88, formerly of Montpelier, passed away on May 26, 2026, at Zon’s Assisted Living Facility, Satellite Beach, Florida.
Born on July 5, 1937, on a farm outside Butler, Indiana, to Harley and Florence Schoonover, Janet grew up on the farm and graduated from Butler High School.
On Sept. 8, 1955, Janet married Walter Bennett, and together they began a farm of their own near Edon, Ohio. Together they worked the farm and raised two sons, Mark and Micheal, of Melbourne, Florida. Walter preceded her in death Dec. 8, 2004, after 49 years of marriage.
Janet loved playing cards with family and friends. She was a regular at the Montpelier Senior Center, where she had lunch and participated in activities. She enjoyed riding her gator around her farm and receiving visitors in her home. Her farm is prime deer and turkey hunting, and she really enjoyed meeting with hunters and getting permission to hunt on her property. Janet actively participated in charitable giving, including through the Montpelier Area Foundation. Above all, she cherished time with her family, especially with her sons.
Graveside funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Riverside Cemetery, Montpelier, OH. Janet’s arrangements have been entrusted to Krill Funeral Service, 860 West Mulberry Street, Bryan, OH.
The “Little Red Barn” was the theme song for the morning radio show on WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana, hosted by Bob Sievers and performed by “Nancy Lee and the Hilltoppers.” Dad’s radio clock alarm blared this song every morning at 6 a.m. for the whole house to hear, followed by the Farm Report. The song starts after the chicken crows:
Verse 1
I was born ’way down in Indiana,
Wish that I were there right now.
Want to hear my dog bow-wow
When I go to milk the cow.
Raised on corn ’way down in Indiana,
So was ev’ry little hen.
I was mighty happy then;
Wish that I were back a-gain:
Chorus
In a little red barn on a farm down in Indiana,
Let me lay my back on a stack of new mown hay.
’Round the barnyard where the farmyard folks are pally,
Let me dilly-dally all the live-long day.
I’m a Hoosier who’s blue, thru and thru, and my heart is pining
For the sycamore trees where the Wabash breezes play.
What’s more, I’m pining for a yellow moon that’s shining
On a little red barn on a farm down Indiana way.
Verse 2
Work was done ’way down in Indiana,
Picked the eggs the chickens lay;
Pushed the plow and pitched the hay;
Ev’ry day a busy day.
Had my fun ’way down in Indiana
When the sun would go to rest.
Saw it sinkin’ in the West;
That’s the time I liked the best.
To sign the online register or to send condolences, please visit www.krillfuneralservice.com.
