Earnest Walter Benefield, Sr.

Mr. Earnest Walter “E.W.” Benefield Sr., 72, died Tuesday, May 3, 2011, at Winston Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, May 7th, at Porter Funeral Home, with Rev. Earnest Flake and Rev. Kenneth Hall officiating. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday at the funeral home. Porter Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Benefield was born October 26, 1938 in Dekalb County, AL. He was a retired crane operator for Tifton Machine Works in Tifton, GA, and served in the U.S. Navy. He was a member of Hope Apostolic Ministries Church. He was preceded in death by his father, Raymond Benefield; and a son, Richard Lee Benefield. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Jerkins Benefield; his mother, Dorothy Christine Smith Foster; 3 daughters, Jackie Minger of Louisville, Jane (Leslie) Watson of Ranburne, AL, and Cathy (Ricky) Waldrep of Jemison, AL; 2 sons, Earnest Benefield Jr. of Chattanooga, TN and Kelvin Miller of Cleveland, MS; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren. Pallbearers will be Tony Minger, Cory Watson, Joey Hill, Brandon Beardon, Kevin Stewart, and Danny Miles. Memorials may be made to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or The American Cancer Society.