Loyd Edward Benford, 91, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, died Tuesday, October 6, 2015, at his residence.
Funeral services will be held 11 AM, Thursday, October 8, 2015, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Harris Johnson officiating. Interment will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Wednesday evening at the funeral home in Fitzgerald.
Mr. Benford was born May 8, 1924, in Haleyville, Alabama, to the late Auburn A. and Annie Kilgore Benford. Mr. Benford graduated from Bear Creek High School in Alabama and served his country honorably in the United States Army, during World War II, under General Patton, in the 3rd Army, Infantry Division. He moved to the community in 1948. He was a former manager of Stone Oil Company and worked for Darrell Weeks Surveying, retiring at age 80. Along with his wife, Mr. Benford loved to camp at Indian Springs as well as fish. Together they served as campground hosts at John Tanner State Park in Carrollton for four years. He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church and the Senior Sunday school class.
He is survived by his wife of almost 40 years: Mildred Stone Benford; children: Linda B. Horne & Pete of Perry and Loyd Edward “Eddie” Benford, Jr. & Marcia of Fitzgerald; step-children: George & Gracie Weeks of Suwanee, Darrell & Carol Weeks of Fitzgerald and Linda & Thomas Shepherd of Dacula; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; three brothers: Auburn & Genier Ruth Benford, J.L. & Martha Benford and Jerry & Betty Benford, all of Haleyville, Alabama. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Kay Pridgen; a granddaughter, Mandy Weeks Munford; four sisters and four brothers.