Shirley Temple Fan Fulfills Promise to Late Father

A Bay Area mother who grew up watching Shirley Temple has fulfilled a promise to her late father.

Jennifer Vargas Bennett was raised on Shirley Temple movies. Now, she is raising her 2-year-old daughter, Raelin, to admire the Hollywood icon, who died overnight at age 85. Tuesday morning, the pair left a bouquet of flowers outside Temple’s home in the town of Woodside, Calif.

The simple act fulfills a promise Bennett made to her father 20 years ago.

“When I first had kids, my dad and I made some promises, and one of them on our bucket list of things was, the day Shirley Temple died, we would bring flowers,” Bennett said. “My dad unfortunately passed away 10 years ago, so he is unable to be here today.”

Just like her mother, little Raelin is also being raised on a steady diet of Shirley Temple, who wasn't much older – only 6 years old – when she had already started in 20 Hollywood films.

OBITUARY: Iconic Former Child Star Shirley Temple Dies at 85

Contact Us