Megan Elizabeth Bennett

Megan Elizabeth Bennett

Orfordville, WI/Canandaigua, NY:  Age 36, became Heaven’s most beautiful angel on January 9, 2020. Megan went to Heaven unexpectedly at her home in Orfordville, Wisconsin.

Megan was born February 8, 1983 to Carol "Chapman" Bennett and Henry N. Bennett in Canandaigua, New York. She graduated from Canandaigua Academy in 2001, and was a catcher on the softball team and a member of the National Honor Society.

She graduated from SUNY Brockport with her B.S. in chemistry and a minor in criminal justice in 2005, where she won many awards and was a member of Sigma Xi.

She received her Master’s in physical and analytical chemistry from Virginia Tech in 2007, and if you knew Megan, you knew she was an avid, and lifelong Hokie.

Megan earned her Ph.D in Radiochemistry from University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 2011, where she and her adviser, Ralf Sudowe, were part of the international team that discovered element 117 on the periodic table: Tennesine.

She worked for Argonne National Lab outside of Chicago for five years. Megan most recently worked on medical isotopes at SHINE Medical Technologies in Wisconsin, where she hoped to fulfill her dream of finding a cure for cancer.

Megan is survived by her mother, Carol Bennett Quagliata; stepfather, David Quagliata; brothers, Jared Bennett and Dan Quagliata; niece Justina Quagliata, as well as her godparents Connie and George Carmody and their family; aunt, June VanVoorhis; her very special aunt and uncle Deborah and Scott Clevenger, their family; and her godson, Colton Clevenger. She was a friend to all animals, and will be missed by Cobalt, Lu and Mulder. Megan is also survived by countless friends and extended family. She touched more lives than we’ll ever know.

She was predeceased by her father, Henry N. Bennett in 2002, and her maternal grandparents H. Roy and Dorothy B. Chapman.

Megan was a champion of the underdog, which might explain her love of the Buffalo Bills. She was also an incredible cook and was dedicated to helping anyone she could, especially veterans, as a member of the American Legion Auxiliary at the August Mauer Post in Newark, NY.  She will always be missed, and remembered with her big laugh and her bigger heart.

Family and friends may gather for a time of visitation on Sunday, January 19, 2020 from 2-5 PM at the Norman L. Waterman Funeral Home (note location), 124 West Miller Street, Newark, NY 14513.  A celebration of Megan's life will be offered on Monday, January 20, 2020, 11AM,  at the Murphy Funeral & Cremation Chapel (note location), 1040 New York State Route 31, Macedon, NY 14502. Interment will be private at Woodlawn Cemetery, Canandaigua, NY.  Contributions in Megan’s memory can be made to the Wayne County Humane Society (hswaynepets.org) or Stop Soldier Suicide (stopsoldiersuicide.org). To leave a condolence, light a candle, or to upload a photo, please visit www.murphyfuneralservices.com.

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