Millicent "Penny" Benbow

Mrs. Millicent "Penny" Miller Benbow, 95, of Statesville NC, passed away Monday, January 19, 2015, at Gordon Hospice House in Statesville NC, after a short illness. A service to celebrate her life will be conducted at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 24, at First Presbyterian Church of Statesville, with Rev. Stephen Scott officiating. The family will receive visitors in the church fellowship room immediately following the memorial service. Private burial services for the family will be at Oakwood Cemetery in Statesville. Penny was a wonderful and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She was a kind and generous person to her family and anyone who had the good fortune to know her. She lived her Christian beliefs through everything she said and did. She was known for her love of her church and her family and people. A member, former deacon and elder, and valued choir member at First Presbyterian Church of Statesville, she also taught Sunday school. She was awarded a life membership by the Women of the Church. Mrs. Benbow sang in the church choir for many years, and she was known for her beautiful soprano voice. She also sang with the Charlotte Oratorio in past years. In addition to her church activities, she was very involved in her community, as a member of the Laureate Delta chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority, and as a volunteer for the Red Cross. Born October 24 , 1919, in Taylorsville, Alexander County, she was the daughter of Theodore Hathaway Miller and his wife Sarah Elizabeth Bruner Viele. She was educated in the Taylorsville school system, and first attended Berea College, where she studied music and vocal performance. She later continued her education at UNC-Greensboro, where she graduated in 1941 with an A.B. degree in music. Mrs. Benbow grew up in Taylorsville and at her family home on Lake Hickory, where she learned to love nature. She was an avid birding enthusiast. She also had many native wildflowers and shrubs in her backyard on Oakwood Drive. She taught her children and grandchildren her love for and appreciation of God's beautiful world and all the creatures in it. On December 5, 1942, in Washington, D.C., she married Charles David "Charlie" Benbow, III, who died in 2007, a few months before their 65 anniversary. Mrs. Benbow was also pre-deceased by her parents and her sister Sarah Elizabeth Viele Miller. She is survived by four children. Her children and their spouses are: David Benbow and wife Jeannie Williams Benbow, of Statesville NC; Dr. John Miller Benbow and wife Katherine Dick Benbow, of Concord NC; Sarah Benbow Perry and husband David M. Perry of Iredell County; and Theodore Miller Benbow of Iredell County. She is also survived by fourteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Statesville NC (125 North Meeting Street, Statesville NC 28677); WDAV (Box 8990, Davidson, N.C. 28035-8990); UNC-TV (P.O. Box 14900, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709); North Carolina Wildlife Federation (2155 McClintock Road, Charlotte, NC 28205), or The Audubon Society. Online condolences can be made to the family at nicholsonfunerals.com and Nicholson Funeral Home is serving the family.