Adrian T Bennett

October 1, 1936 ~ July 5, 2026

Adrian T Bennett, 89, of Brooklyn, NY passed away on July 5, 2026 at the East 80th Street Residence in Manhattan. Adrian is survived by his wife Michèle Solá, daughter Iris Bennett and her husband Aurelio, and grandson Jeremy Salmeron. Adrian stood by Michèle in her roles teaching Spanish and director at Manhattan Country School for four decades, as author of the children’s book Angela Weaves a Dream, and as she studied piano and poetry. He was proud of Iris’ accomplishments and delighted that Jeremy is enrolled at Maryland Institute College of Art.

Adrian is also survived by his sister Catherine Ward; in-laws Tina & Barry Hills and Matthew & Maki Solá; many nieces and nephews: Caitlin, Nico, Octavia, Buddy, Lucy, Bill (Ward), Cathy, Charlie, Pat, Mike, Peter, Bill (Bennett). He charmed and was charmed by their children and pets, especially dogs. He is predeceased by his first wife, Ruth Sieman, his brother Bill and niece Penny, and mother-in-law Daphne Solá.

Though living with Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer, Adrian maintained his creative and intellectual interests. Less than a month before his death, the 80 th Street Residence organized an Artist Showcase, “A Life in Color,” featuring a retrospective of his paintings, poetry, photography, and other creations from the 1960s to the present. He recited poetry by Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Shakespeare, gaining a reputation as the Residence bard. He enjoyed music, played the guitar for many years. His last living night he asked to hear Frost reading “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and listen to Daisuke Minamizawa playing “Let’s See a Star Together Tonight.”

Adrian was an outdoors enthusiast, a naturalist, who introduced hiking, camping, and gardening to family, friends, and neighbors on 2 nd Street. Accompanying him in any of these pursuits was always fascinating, the pace sometimes challenging for his young companions. Adrian fell in love with Japanese gardens late in life. He studied Japanese language and literature, photographed over 75 Japanese gardens, and found peace in those settings. His reflections, with accompanying photographs, were published by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Japan Times, and Journal of Japanese Gardening/Sukiya Living.

Born October 1, 1936, in Bridgeport, CT to Catherine (Fallon) and Adrian Bennett, Adrian grew up in nearby Fairfield.

A Phi Betta Kappa graduate of U Conn in English and History (B.A.), Duke in English Literature (M.A), and UC Berkeley in Linguistics (Ph.D.), Adrian read widely. He served in the US Army from 1954-1957 and credited the GI Bill for enabling his education. His fascination with languages extended to researching and teaching about their uses in multicultural communities, from El Barrio in New York City to a Fulbright year in Puno, Peru. A private service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Adrian’s memory to Brooklyn Botanic Garden (https://www.bbg.org/support/donate), Prospect Park (ProspectPark.org/Donate) or the Adirondack Experience (https://www.theadkx.org/join-support/donate/tribute-memorial-gifts/).