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Submitted: 8/5/20 • Approved: 8/5/20 • Last Updated: 6/29/23 • R1331862-G1331862-S3
July 8, 1944 - December 24, 2018
Mary Sue Jacobs Bennett was born July 8, 1944, to the union of the late DeWoody Arthur and Mattie Lee Jacobs. She was raised in a small town, Kingsland, Arkansas, where both parents stressed the importance of education. As a result of this guidance, she graduated valedictorian of her high school class in 1960. In high school she decided to be an advocate for personal and professional development through lifelong learning.
Mary, at the age of 19, graduated from Arkansas Mechanical and Normal College, now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government. While attending UAPB she was very active in numerous student organizations and associations, and was inducted in the Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society. Later in life, she furthered her studies at Murray State, Henderson State, Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas Universities.
Mary met the love of her life, Alonzo Marvin Bennett, while attending UAPB. The couple moved to Camden, Arkansas, and they were united in holy matrimony on March 27, 1964. After four years of marriage, they were blessed with the birth of their only child, Roderick Marvin Bennett. Mary was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She led a happy and spirit filled life; a life given direction by her faith; a balanced life because of her love for her family and a richer life because of her friends.
In August of 1964, she started her career as an educator in the public schools of Camden - Lincoln Junior and Senior High Schools. This journey spanned 40 years and provided her the opportunity to positively and profoundly impact the lives of countless young men and women. Being an educator was more than a job to Mary, it was her passion. Her deep rooted philosophy and commitment to education could be summed up by the following paraphrased proverbial saying — One hundred years from now it will not matter what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had, or what my clothes were like, but the world may be a better place because I made a difference and had a positive impact in the life of one person.
Mary was a woman of deep faith, reared in a Christian household of God fearing parents, which led her to accept Christ as her Savior at an early age. For years, she was a dedicated servant of the Lord and held many positions in the churches she attended. She always tried to help people in any way she could, and she was a strong believer in 1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God".
After retiring in 2004, Mary became involved in many community service organizations at the local, state and national level. Although she received many tributes, honors and acknowledgments, nothing matched the fulfillment she received as a result of her work with the Outstanding Woman of Distinction, Inc. (OWOD), a charitable nonprofit organization she co-founded in 2006. OWOD's high school graduate scholarship program serves as a lasting legacy that embodies her spirit and commitment to help better the lives, and open opportunity through education, for young men and women in southern Arkansas.
Mary made her transition to be with the Lord on December 24, 2018. With pleasant memories to cherish and treasure, she is survived by Alonzo Bennett, her devoted husband; Roderick Bennett, her loving son; one granddaughter, Emma Claire Bennett; one sister, Georgia Carter; two sister's-in-law, Gradie Welch and Dorothy Brown; three nieces, Natasha Humphrey, Drusilla Welch and Stephanie K'Nuckles; two nephews, Leslie Ferguson and Ernest Brown, and a host of cousins, other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7PM on Friday, December 28, 2018 at Proctor Funeral Home in Camden. Funeral services will be 11:00AM Saturday, December 29, 2018 at Greater St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Contributed on 8/5/20 by debbraszymanski
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Record #: 1331862