County worker sees age as no reason to quit work

Every day at work brings a new adventure for Pat Bennett.

The 90-year-old Palatka resident has worked as a mapper at the Putnam County Property Appraiser’s Office for 42 years and counting. She first worked full time from 1979 to 2016 and then went part time in 2018, working two days a week.

On Aug. 14, Bennett was honored at her office by her coworkers with a birthday celebration, which was attended by 60 people.

Bennett’s part-time job has her continuing the work she started more than four decades ago. She updates mylar maps using source documents, mostly deeds, while also using easements, wetlands and other documents to make changes to the maps, according to Clay Davis, the supervisor of deeds, mapping and geographic information systems at the Property Appraiser’s Office.

“As an example, if a property is being split by a deed, Mrs. Pat reads a metes and bounds description and she maps the new parcel on the map,” he said. “The process requires great attention to detail, a significant amount of math and a steady hand.”

“Metes and bounds” is the legal description of a parcel of land that is measured in distances, angles and directions.

Pat Bennett and her husband, the late Billy L. “Coach” Bennett, moved to Palatka in 1955 and were married for 65 years before his death on Jan. 11, 2018, at age 89.

Pat Bennett remembers starting her career with the Putnam County Property Appraiser’s Office in 1979. Although she retired in 2016, the desire to continue serving took hold and she returned to the job two years later.

“Mrs. Pat had a desire to return to the work that she loves and we were more than delighted to welcome her back,” said Davis, who has been her supervisor for many years. “Her mapping skills are second to none and the maps she produces have been an invaluable asset to the property owners and professionals in Putnam County for many, many years.”

Bennett was born Patsy Williams on Aug. 14, 1933, and raised in Tennessee. She and her husband had one daughter, Cathy Bennett, who lives in Wisconsin.

“Mrs. Pat,” as Bennett is called, has no plans to retire at this time.

“I enjoy visiting with my friends, working out at the gym and work,” she said. “I enjoy the challenge of mapping. Every day brings a new adventure.”

Davis said Florida Administrative Code requires the property appraiser to establish and maintain an adequate cadastral mapping program, and thanks to Bennett, that has happened.

“She has not only helped the office to meet this requirement, but her maps have helped countless property owners and professionals for many decades,” Davis said. “She has been invaluable.”

Staying active, eating healthy and regularly attending the gym are important to Bennett, and it helps keep her returning to work.

“I enjoy being around people and I enjoy the job,” she said. “The people who work here are special and wonderful to work with. We are a family and we look out for each other.”

Besides that, Bennett said, her work keeps her mind sharp.

“It is a Godsend to have something to do,” she said. “It has been a calling for my life.”