Services for Rev. George William Benefield, 76, of Holly Pond Alabama, will be as follows: Visitation: From 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Moss Funeral Home. The service will be Saturday, March 26, 2016 with lying in state from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. with the service following at 11 a.m. The service will be held at Holly Pond United Methodist Church with Rev. Scott Hagood and nephew Jimmy Allison officiating with internment at Brooklyn Cemetery in Cullman County.
Rev. Benefield died Wednesday, March 23, in Holly Pond, Alabama. He was born January 15, 1940. He was a retired minister from the United Methodist Church of North Alabama Conference. Having served as a minister for more than 50 years, he became born again in Christ about midnight June 7, 1957.
Rev. Benefield attended high school at Holly Pond School where he met his wife to be, Martha Lorine Dyson. In 1992, he graduated from Brewer State Community College with an Associate Degree in Arts. In that same year he completed his seminary training at Emory University School of Theology and became an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church. In 2003, he received "Clergy of The Year" for the Gadsden District UMC. He was also a member of the Baileyton Masonic Lodge where he previously served as Chaplain and President. In his retirement, he enjoyed becoming, in his words "A Gentleman Farmer growing the world's best sweet potatoes".
Rev. Benefield was preceded in death by his parents, George W. Benefield and Ollie Stewart Benefield, his son SSG Robby Benefield, and his siblings: Lela May Allison, John Louis Benefield, and Mary Verlene Benefield. Survivors include: his wife Martha Dyson Benefield of Holly Pond; his siblings Thomas Charles Benefield, Clarence Edward Benefield, Patsy Vernell Lawson, and John Wayne Benefield; one sister-in-law Jeannie Walker Benefield; one son Raymond Benefield of Holly Pond; two daughters, Janet Benefield Williams of Toney, AL and Saundra Benefield Raynak of Nashville, TN; six grandchildren, Megan Benefield (Jamie) Danish, Kristen Benefield (Josh) Denny, Walter Lewis (Haley) Williams, Matthew Raynak, Jonathan Williams, Jessica Williams; two great-grandchildren, Mallory Denny, Levi Denny. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to Rev. Benefield's charity of choice to the Gideon International.
