State Senator Scott Bennett of Champaign will be remembered at a funeral at the University of Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Monday, December 19 at 10 A.M.
Owens Funeral Home in Champaign, which is handling the arrangements, says the public is invited to the funeral at the Krannert Center, which will follow a private funeral at another location.
The Krannert Center, at 500 S. Goodwin Ave. in Urbana, features five venues with seating for 200 to 2,000 people.
The 45-year-old Bennett died unexpectedly last Friday, from an undiagnosed brain tumor. The Gibson City native was an attorney and former prosecutor. He had served in the Illinois Senate since 2015, and was chair of the Higher Education Committee.
Bennett was a key legislative negotiator on clarifying Illinois’ landmark SAFE-T Act criminal justice overhaul that takes effect January 1, 2023.
Instead of flowers, the Bennett family has asked for donations in his memory to be made to the Champaign-Urbana Autism Network, which provides support for people with autism, their families and caregivers; or CU Able, a support group for caregivers to people with disabilities. The family says both were causes that Bennett had planned to focus on in the upcoming legislative session.