BENNETT, Thomas Edward James (TJ) - Atop Mt. Shasta in Northern California on April 1, 2010, Thomas Edward James Bennett (TJ) in his 27th year. Beloved son of Mary Kenny of Sechelt, BC., and Thomas Bennett and wife Neysa of Chicago, Illinois. He will be forever missed by his sister and best friend, Jenna Bennett of Ottawa, his beloved Papa and Nana, James and Louise Kenny of Sechelt, BC, and his special girlfriend Kirstie Whitaker of Oakland, CA. Also left to mourn his tragic loss are his Bennett uncles: Russell (Nadine), Donald, Glynn (Alma), Philip, aunt Gloria LeBlanc (Rob), uncle Philip Kenny, and aunt Cathy Kenny along with his heroic friend Mark Thomas. Predeceased by his grandparents Edward and Barbara Bennett of Windsor,Ontario. Visitation will take place at the Devlin Funeral Home, 579 Seaview Rd., Gibson's, BC.,(604-886-9551) on Thursday, April 15, 2010, from 2:00 - 4:00 and 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. with prayers at 8:00 p.m. Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Friday, April 16, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 5482 Chelti, Sechelt, BC.,∼Atop Mount Shasta in Northern California on April 1, 2010, Thomas Edward James Bennett (TJ) in his 27th year. Beloved son of Mary Kenny of Sechelt, BC., and Thomas Bennett and wife Neysa of Chicago, Illinois. He will be forever missed by his sister and best friend, Jenna Bennett of Ottawa, and his beloved Papa and Nana, James and Louise Kenny of Sechelt, BC, and his special girlfriend Kirstie Whitaker of Oakland, California. Thomas is survived by numerous uncles, aunts and cousins in the Bennett family including Uncle Russell and Aunt Nadine, cousins Steve and Kelly; Uncle Donald, cousins Brittney and Laura; Uncle Philip, cousins Ashley and Brooke; Uncle Glynn, Aunt Alma, cousins Chris, Jodie and Brian; Aunt Gloria, Uncle Rob, cousins Lauren and Heather. Thomas is also survived by Uncle Philip Kenny, cousin Michael and his mother SharonBlais and Aunt Cathy Kenny, his great uncles and aunts, including his Papa's brother Donald & family, sister Marilyn and family, and Nana's brother Fred, plus many aunts, uncles and cousins in the Kenny family. Tom's charm and smile will be missed at the annual family gathering. Tom will be also be sadly missed by his many friends in Vancouver and London, including all his classmates, coaches, and sport friends, especially his climbing friend Mark Thomas. Tom is predeceased by his grandparents Edward and Barbara Bennett of Windsor,Ontario. Tom was born in Toronto, Ontario August 28, 1983 and grew up in London, Ontario, where he attended St. Anne's Catholic Grade School, St. Michael's (for grades 7 & 8). He graduated from Catholic Central High School in 2000. He always loved the outdoors and loved to bike, played soccer, football, hockey, and other sports. Tom studied at UBC, completed an 18 month Co-op Term with INCO in Thompson,Manitoba, and graduated from UBC in 2007 in Chemical Engineering and Honours Chemistry. He actively pursued his passion for outdoor activities and adventures; adding new adventures including snowboarding, climbing, hiking, Whistler BBQ cooking competitions. He was also a self-taught guitarist, a member of Oakland's CAOS (climbing) group, and a Kung Fu student (Wing Chun group in Vancouver). Upon graduating , Tom went to work for Fluor Corporation in Vancouver, as a Process Engineer. He moved to the company's Dublin, California office in the fall 2009. Tom touched so many lives along the way. His gentle, confident, sociable, witty, kind manner has been loved throughout his life. Tom was passionate about climbing. He and his friend Mark Thomas had summited 14,179 ft on Mt. Shasta, California, and were planning their descent, when Tom was taken ill. Extreme weather hampered rescue attempts for 5 days. On Thursday April 1 at 10:04 a.m. rescue teams finally got in and found Tom in the snow cave Mark had dug for him. He was deceased. Tom's family sends heartfelt thanks to Mark Thomas for his true friendship and heroism in helping rescuers locate his friend, and to everyone who assisted with the search and rescue (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office Det. Ken Richardson (CoSearch & Rescue Team), California Highway Patrol, Calfire, U.S. Forest Service, California Army National Guard and Eagles' Nest Aviation). Thanks also to the Sisters of the Precious Blood for their continuing prayers, and for everyone's prayers and support. Visitation will take place at the Devlin Funeral Home, 579 Seaview Rd., Gibson's, BC (Sunshine Coast) 604-886-9551 on Thursday, April 15, 2010, from 2:00 - 4:00 and 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. with prayers at 8:00 p.m. Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Friday, April 16, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 5482 Chelti, Sechelt, BC (Sunshine Coast) with visitation in the church from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow at the Sechelt Indian Band Hall, 5496 Memmiman Drive (directly behind Our Lady of Lourdes Church), immediately following the Funeral Mass. Donations in Tom's memory can be made to Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Fund at 305 Butte St., Yreka, CA 96097 for "Special Equipment Funds - In Memory of Tom Bennett". Donations may also be left with the Devlin Funeral Home.