Welcome home, Grandpa.  Welcome home.

Cliff Bennett, 94, of Warren, MN, passed away on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, in the Good Samaritan Center, Warren.

Clifford Wayne was born on August 7, 1921, in Plummer, MN, to Frank and Sadie Harper Bennett. He was raised in the Plummer area before moving to a farm, east of Warren when he was twelve. He worked on the family farm all through his youth and joined the CCC in the early 40's for several years and worked on conservation projects outside Duluth. After his return home, Cliff was united in marriage to Marilyn Erickson, on October 8, 1949, in Alma Lutheran Church, and made his home back on the family farm.

Cliff loved working the land and worked the same fields for most of his life. He worked hard to keep the family's land together, and was a caretaker for his parents in their final years. He was a great conservationist and lived up to one of his favorite sayings, “You take care of the land and the land will take care of you.” He raised beef and milk cattle and thousands of turkeys at a time. In 1970, Cliff switched to just growing grains. In 1975, Cliff and Marilyn moved into Warren, where Cliff made the commute to the farm every day until 1986 when he “retired” to become a full-time grandpa.

Cliff's greatest joy was to be with his family and he saw his local grandchildren almost daily, picking them up from school in his little blue pick-up. Cliff was active in his church and was a lifetime Freemason, attending meetings for 50 plus years at the Warren and Stephen lodges.

In addition to his wife of nearly 66 years, Marilyn, Cliff is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jane and Doug Safar; four grandchildren, Nicole Safar, Gina and Andy Prose, Alyssa Whiting, and Brandon Whiting; great-grandchildren, Bennett, Harper, and Cayden; brother-in-law, George Erickson; sisters-in-law, Doris Erickson, Betty Voytilla, and Marianne Sager; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Betty Boyd; infant grandson, Michael; his parents; brothers, Vern, Kenny, and Frank; and sister, Emma Erickson.