Marva Cain. Benton

Our beloved Marva was called home to eternal rest on Sunday, August 20, 2023. We know she is safe and secure in the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Marva accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior at a very young age. She used her gifts and talents in Kingdom service all her life. As a gifted musician she directed the Youth Choir at the Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church (GNHMBC) in Houston, Texas. Greater New Hope is the church in which she was baptized and is the church in which she would later be married to James O. Benton, Jr., her husband of 58 years.

The love of Christ was reflected in everything she thought, said, and did. During their 58 years together Marva and Jim were involved members of GNHMBC; Monumental Missionary Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, PA; Kingwood First Baptist Church, Kingwood, TX; Euless First Baptist Church, Euless, TX; Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, San Antonio, TX, and finally Hillcrest Baptist Church, Cedar Hill, TX. Because of her great love for children, Marva usually gravitated toward serving in children’s ministry.

Marva was an only child, born to the union of Charles S. Cain and Jessie Mae Barnes Kelley, both of whom preceded her in death. She is also preceded in death by her beloved step-father, Frederick Kelley and her step-sister, Cheryl E. Cain.

A graduate of Kashmere Senior H.S. in Houston, TX, Marva went on to attend Fisk University in Nashville, TN where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, PI Chapter, serving as Basileus for 2 years.

Upon graduating from Fisk, Marva taught advanced math and physics in schools in Houston (Cashmere H.S.), Bethesda, MD and Pittsburgh, PA.

She joined the IBM Corporation in Pittsburgh where she worked as a Systems Analyst, Marketing Representative for Large Systems. In 1971 she ultimately found herself back in Houston with IBM where she became the first African American woman on the IBM NASA Team. Marva retired from IBM as a team member in the IBM Customer Center in Houston Texas.

Marva joined Jack & Jill of America in 1988. She is a Charter member of the Humble Kingwood Texas Chapter of J&J. She has been one of the dedicated working mothers of J&J in Humble-Kingwood Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, North Suburban Dallas, and lastly the Arlington Texas chapter.

She is survived by her husband, James; son, Mark (Shelley); daughter, Jimmi Nicole (Donald); grandchildren, Joshua, Jessica, and Parker; cousins, Margaret Materre, Rosaylia Wilson (Tyree), Theodore Harris.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Marva’s name to the American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org)