Rivola Dale Bennette , 93, of Le Mars, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, February 6, 2021 at Accura Health Care of Le Mars.

Funeral Service will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, February 12, 2021 at Rexwinkel Funeral Home in Le Mars. Burial with military honors will follow at Resthaven Memory Gardens in rural Le Mars.

Rivola Dale Bennette was born on January 6, 1928 to David and Beaulah (Irwin) Bennette in Andrew, Iowa.  He was raised in Lake City, MN and Farmington, MN.  Rivola enlisted in the United States Navy right before his 19 ^th birthday.  During his time in the service, he traveled to exotic ports of call, such as Hong Kong, Japan, and then Pearl Harbor.  While at Pearl Harbor he was given the address of Donna Taylor.  They wrote many letters to each other.  After some time, he sent her an engagement ring in the mail without ever meeting her face to face.  In of December of 1953, he took leave from the service and went to Iowa where he was united in marriage to her on January 1, 1954 at the Methodist Church in Merrill, Iowa.  A year and a half later, their first child was born.  Then in 1956, after being transferred to temporary disability, he was medically discharged from the Navy due an anxiety disorder.

They moved to Iowa, Colorado, and back to Iowa.  He went from job to job until he got his job with John Deere. Rivola worked with John Deere in East Moline for 25 years. When Rivola retired, Donna and Rivola moved to Climbing Hill, Iowa for a short time before finally settling in Le Mars, Iowa. They lived to together in Le Mars until Donna's passing in 2016.  They had been married 62 ½ years.  He hung for 4 more years, spending time with his family.  He was thrown a surprise 90 ^th birthday party.  This was the first birthday party he had ever received.  He missed his wife Donna so much that he finally passed on due to a broken heart.

Rivola was a man of faith; he enjoyed listening to music, singing, reading scripture from the Bible and doing cryptograms and puzzles.  He will be laid to rest next to his loving wife and two sons.

Rivola is survived by his daughters: Janet (Robert) Hicks of Calamus, Iowa and Terrie (Randy) Mock of Colorado; 6 grandchildren: Leroy McFarland, Sarah Sanders, Melissa Lister, Jason Phelps, Miranda Lister Clubb, and Vanessa Annabelle Heglund; 14 great grandchildren: Alesha, Dakota Ann, Stanley, Gage, Dominick, Tyler, Lyllian, David, Nickolas, Valerie, Jerry, Jorin, Xander, and Gavin; his sister: Jean (Ron) Holland; and many other extended relatives.

Rivola is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Donna; sons: Dennis, Daniel, and Gary; great grandson, Andrew; sisters: Thora June Campbell and Evelyn Hall; and a niece, Dawn Elaine Holland.