Longtime public servant Roseann Bentley dies at 89

Former Greene County Commissioner and Missouri state Sen. Roseann Bentley has died.

Bentley died July 14 at age 89, said Jenny Fillmer Edwards, public information administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. Bentley, who is the namesake of the Roseann Bentley Musical Playground that opened in 2023 at Phelps Grove Park, was memorialized in a Park Board Facebook post this morning. 

The Park Board post describes Bentley as "a lifelong advocate for children and families and public education, a trailblazer for women in leadership and a huge fan of parks and Ozark Greenways."

"Her grandchildren placed a bench at the playground inscribed with this quote from their grandmother: 'You've got to stand your ground sometimes. The rest of the time you have to be really nice,'" the post reads.

Bentley represented District 30 in the Missouri Senate 1995-2003, after which she was a member of the Greene County Commission for 12 years. Bentley was the first woman to be elected to the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education and to represent southwest Missouri in the Missouri Senate, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. 

The Greene County Commission remembered Bentley in a statement provided early this afternoon.

“Roseann Bentley served our community with grace, style and effectiveness on both the Springfield and Missouri boards of education, in the Missouri Senate and on the Greene County Commission where she championed the betterment of children’s education, lives and futures," the statement reads. "We remember her today with affection. We honor her example and accomplishments, and we surround her family with love, gratitude and prayers as they mourn.”

Bentley's civic work included serving as president of Junior League of Springfield and as a founding member of Ozarks Public Television and Female Leaders in Philanthropy, and she played a role in bringing libraries to all public elementary schools in Springfield, according to SBJ archives. Bentley was honored with the 2011 Humanitarian Award by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the 2003 Springfieldian Award by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, among other accomplishments.

OPT posted a tribute on Facebook, thanking Bentley for her leadership and commitment to public media.

“A lifelong advocate for education and public service, Roseann helped launch OPT in the early 1970s, laying the groundwork for decades of community-focused broadcasting,” the post reads. “Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched through her work in education, public service, and early childhood advocacy.” 

Bentley was preceded in death by husband Dr. John D. Bentley in 2023.