Gaynell Annette Benefield

Gaynell Annette Parker Benefield, 93, of Fort Payne, left this earth for her heavenly Home on Thursday, September 22, 2016. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a faithful servant of God. Her priorities in life were to serve the Lord, lead others to Christ, and raise her children and grandchildren in a Christian home. Mrs. Benefield was a charter member of Minvale Baptist Church, since 1948. She attended there faithfully and served as a Sunday School teacher 40 years, Children’s Church worker 10 years, Vacation Bible School Principal, and as Church Custodian for many years. She read her Bible through four times. Her favorite Scripture was Psalm 34. Mrs. Benefield loved flower gardening, sewing, home decorating, and preparing Sunday dinners for her family and friends. She graduated from Culinary School and baked beautiful wedding cakes for the public. She was especially fond of lighthouses. In April 1996, she wrote and published sheet music to the gospel song, “I’ve Been Thinking About Heaven”. Mrs. Benefield was the oldest of ten children. She was preceded in death by her husband, Buford Nathaniel Benefield; her daughter, Carolyn Hester; her parents, Eugene and Cora Parker; sisters Lorene Parker and Martha Jean Gladden; and brothers, Ralph Parker, Duard Parker, Doyle Parker and Alvin Parker. Services will be at 2 pm on Sunday, Sept. 25, at Wilson Funeral Home Chapel in Fort Payne, with the Revs. Alton Vaughn and John Keefe officiating. Oldest grandchild, Ricky Hester, will deliver the eulogy. Burial will follow in Mt. Vernon Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 12:00 noon Sunday until the 2:00pm hour of service at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be Mrs. Benefield’s six grandsons. Honorary pallbearers will be Kenneth Hester, Jimmy Gables, Tim Akins, and William Kilgore. Survivors include her daughter, LaRue Hardinger; sons, Wendell (Lina) Benefield and Nathan Benefield; son-in-law, Kenneth Hester; sisters, Joyce (Calvin) Hicks and Ruth (Floyd) Collins; brother, Thurman (Hazel) Parker; grandchildren, Ricky (Gillian) Hester, Sherry (Jimmy) Gables, Lee (Christy) Benefield, Caleb (Jennifer) Benefield, Drew Hardinger, Seth (Sarah) Hardinger, Zane (Kim) Hardinger, Sabrina (Tim) Akins, Jennifer Benefield, and Constance (William) Kilgore; 22 great-grandchildren; and a host of other friends and loved ones.

Gaynell Annette Benefield

October 17, 1922 - September 22, 2016